🎙️ Episode 34: Welcome to the December Live Q&A Episode of The Never Too Old Podcast, where I help you set yourself up for success with your New Year’s Resolution of becoming stronger, plus I answer listener questions about hip arthritis management, overcoming fear of deadlifts, and more.

🎯 What You’ll Learn:
In this comprehensive session, I tackle the biggest mistake people make with New Year’s resolutions, and provide three essential steps to ensure you actually stick with your strength training goals beyond January. Plus, I answer practical questions about training with hip arthritis while waiting for replacement surgery and safe alternatives to deadlifts.

🔍 Key Topics I Cover:
Why Most New Year’s Resolutions Fail (And How to Avoid It)
The critical mistake most people make is showing up to the gym in January without a clear plan. I explain why having continuity, knowing your exercises in advance, and understanding progression is essential for lasting success. Plus, the research-backed reason why writing down your goals significantly increases your chances of achieving them.

The 3 Most Important Things to Focus On When Starting Strength Training
Detailed breakdown of the three pillars that will determine your success:
(1) – Goal Planning – moving beyond vague goals like “feel stronger” to specific, emotionally-driven outcomes,
(2) Exercise Selection – choosing 8-10 exercises split across two alternating workouts for 12 weeks, and
(3) Progression Strategy – understanding how to push to muscular fatigue and when to increase weight.

Training with Hip Arthritis While Awaiting Replacement
Practical guidance for someone on the waiting list for hip replacement surgery. I explain why maintaining strength pre-surgery is crucial, how to modify exercises like squats (shallow depth vs deep), and which machine-based exercises work well when free weights cause discomfort.

Overcoming Fear of Deadlifts
I address why deadlifts cause fear (often from doing too much depth too quickly) and provide safer alternatives: Romanian deadlifts from elevated positions, rack pulls, glute bridges with resistance bands, and hip thrusters.

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction and New Year’s Resolutions
02:29 Importance of Planning Your Strengthening Workout
03:30 Three Key Focus Areas for Beginners
04:41 Setting Clear and Granular Goals
08:25 Choosing the Right Strength Exercises for You
11:27 How to Progress in Strength Training
17:13 Strength Advice for Those Awaiting Hip Replacement
22:10 Alternatives to Deadlifts
29:43 Conclusion and Next Steps

Resources Mentioned:
Episode 10: Kim – https://youtu.be/q63GKxy1aCA
Episode 20: Steve – https://youtu.be/2xuBJ2Pnx2s
Episode 9: 7 Functional Movement Patterns – https://youtu.be/kSy7dH9HZIA
Episode 16: 7 Step Framework to Start Strength Training – https://youtu.be/NNd2mHLWQ6I
Are Deadlifts Dangerous – https://nevertoooldtolift.com/are-deadlifts-dangerous/