THIS should’ve been a no brainier.
I’m eating and exercising like I did when I was seventeen , the style not the intensity or effort obviously. My body is responding to it as well now as it did then. Gee whiz I reckon I shoulda known huh?!
There should definitely be an over 50 forum for the many “seasoned” lifters still hitting it at the gym or garage. Hearing about others in this group going well and appreciating training is great. It is really enjoyable when the older guys can put the young show-offs to shame. We need to share tips to help that happen and congrats when it does. We typically take it more seriously with our training, as well as our need for good technique (learned sometimes the hard way), plans, and enhanced recovery to maintain.
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@arnold2507 I completely agree of course 
TBD right?
I ordered up some biotest stuff earlier. protein, curcumin, rez v, and superfood. It made me curious what other dudes my around my age (i’m 54) might buy like that. This is yet another reason for the over 50 forum idea. over 35 of course is super appropriate cause there’s more of 'em . But we have a more specialized niche i think, and can really benefit from sharing things that won’t apply to the young pups.
And saying that, i am reminded. I had a spell recently of going to the gym daily for six days and it felt effin great. I’ve taken two days off, still feel pumped like I can’t believe it’s crazy but i love it.
Its awesome at this age too, I know WTF to eat, and how to manipulate things to get the results I’m going for. Lots of lessons were learned, many were earned.
Hey, here’s something I started doing. There’s likely a static hold name for it in not sure. I’ll go up to the dumbbell rack and grab a set a of heavy ones, pick em up and count to 100, I do this after my last set of dumbbell curls which is currently the last exercise I do, and frankly it just feels really dang good after I put em down. It’s a functional thing - I may have to lift and hold something during any given day after all.
I completely agree with your thoughts. There are many lessons we have all learned and earned, via hard knocks, reading, mentor or lifting partner, and other routes. Some with ideas about the actual training, recovery, supplements, eating, etc. to help us more senior lifters. I have been taking greater effort with using good form (to avoid injuries I don’t need), but still able to use good weights versus the young gym-jerks throwing weights around as an injury waiting to happen. Like many, I am not a fan of cardio and rather spend time with the iron. Also, I have had a couple surges of training like you mentioned, getting to lift very consistently and had the same euphoria. Great motivation to keep it up.
Alright now. I’ve been going to the gym daily. Yesterday I did light weights for 50 minutes after 15 on the treadmill. There was a fitness class scheduled 45 minutes after I finished, and that class is led by a 72 yo woman + it wiped me out last week, so I wanted to try again.
I left and went to carb up…. Local diner, a biscuit with butter and honey and a cuppa coffee, then back for this class. This time I kept up with all except their quick dance type stuff and I’ve never been able to do that shit so no biggie :). I was quite pleased with myself.
Now, not a lot of grown ass men are going to even admit, much less brag that they did a fitness class taught by a seventy-two year old female. I would invite any of them to meet this particular female before getting cocky.
Oh, I located the three calf machines we have yesterday as well. Worked legs a bit. Skipped arms I think I’m overdoing those.
For a 54 yo disabled veteran, I think I’m doing pretty effin good. Only eight years ago all this was impossible. Thank God the never give up soldier mentality is deep.
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Right. Me too. At 54, and granted I don’t really have that many friends per se, just a bunch of ppl in acquainted with from Church, but very few of the other men I’m in contact with regularly are interested in working out at all, even fewer in doing so correctly and with a purpose.
I’ll be damned but in ten years at 64, and 20 at 74, and effin beyond, I want to still be in great condition, active, and effin strong AF. I see no reason that isn’t reasonable, though I’m very clear that some things related to aging could blow it out of the water or slow it statically. Doesn’t mean I stop trying.
Never ever give up. No matter the enemy or the odds, never surrender!
Oh hell no.
A saying I recently read again packaged the sentiment very well.
This is not a correct quote but my weak attempt to remember:
“Life isn’t a journey that is supposed to end with our body wrapped in a neat little package. It’s supposed to end sliding sideways into third base saying “Holy crap! What a ride!”
And that my friends is how I want to live
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I’m 52. I remember when my dad was my age, he was an old man. I still feel young. When I go to the gym, I’m one of the strongest guys there. I constantly compare myself with the young guys. They inspire me to work harder. When they are screwing around on their phones, I’m working. The challenge now is staying ahead of mother nature.
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Funny.
I watch how the pups do things and it is amusing, and also makes me feel better about being my age very frequently.
Fact is I’ve survived stuff that would kill at least half, a quarter would run away crying , and maybe the remaining quarter would stand a chance. So if I’m exceeding 25% of men who are 30 years younger then that makes me feel a bit better about myself. But not in the out someone down to lift me way, just in the observational mode of thinking God bless em all I hope they reach their goals and live long happy lives
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Here’s what I’m doing right now, and I think it might make a decent template for someone maybe.
I do a full body workout daily BUT with very light weights.
Three sets of twelve EXCEPT, on the muscle groups of focus (think push/pull split), I load a little more weight, reps are closer to 4-6, and I do not go to failure.
It has only been two weeks. I’ll let you know how this goes but it’s feeling very very good!
My energy level remains sky high. My energy when lifting is fabulous. I can’t think of much that isn’t just wonderful
Kk, ya all take care and have a nice one :)))
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I’ll post this elsewhere too but I’m now looking for the best movement to strengthen the upper part of my lats.
Strengthen because I want to build them slowly….
I like a good (palms facing each other) lat pulldown. With a grip no wider than your shoulders for upper lats. FWIW
Hey, I’m going to try this. Never have so it might be a stimulating thing I need.
Thx!
I’m finding that some unintended time off from the gym here and there due to the holidays is actually giving me recovery time that I can feel in my muscles. They feel swollen, full, whatever you want to call it, but I call it really effin good.
I’m not overtraining though. There’s no way with the light damn weights I use that is a thing. However, I could be wearing my body out overall with things outside the gym as well and then skipping the workouts somehow yields a noticeable result. Weird.
Tell ya all one thing sure. I wasn’t able to exercise steady for decades. Now that I can, I’ll be damned if I’m not going to do the best I can to take care of and keep this body strong as I can. It also suits my personality to roll out of bed before dawn and get to the gym every day. The routine aids in keeping a faster tempo in life that I find desirable.
It’s not ALL about weights and muscles after all.
It really should be over 40, but 35 is fine. I’d really prefer to continue thinking that I’m still 19. At least that is my maturity level.
As for training 40 was no different than 35, it’s somewhere in the 40s we start changing but I believe that’s when changes may need to be made in training. I don’t mean slowing down either the older you get the harder your azz has to work cause life isn’t going to give two shits when your old.
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Love it. Keep up the great work!!
…and thats no shit!
Here is a new one for me as an individual that makes me so happy I could just shit.
That is, I’m observing some muscle development that looks better than I’ve had in the past. No effin clue what that’s about if muscle tissue appearance can change a bit with age or not but by God my mirror says my upper chest looks better than it did at 27 when I benched what, 275 for reps. Now I’m using dumbbells at no more than 40. Go figure. I promise my focus and form are better than ever. Slow and intentional mostly.
Anyway I was so amazed by this at my age it seemed appropriate to share
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With your experience, your maturity, and if you’re healthy, you’ve got the capacity to do some good strength work in your 50s.
Just a thought. Happy New Year.
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I have learned that the mechanics of barbell usage has not been my friend. I have managed some decent numbers over the years but within the last two to three months the reality of heavy squats, deads, and bench detriment has become just that…reality. If you have access to a safety squat bar, use it. It is so much easier on shoulders and elbows. If not, kettlebell or a db in similar positioning will maintain the movement. Even when I was young I seemed to believe in functional vs “pretty boy”. Never made the cut on pretty so didn’t pursue it. Reading your posts I’m curious if you have ever utilized opposing movements in superset fashion? Admitting I overtrained for many years and surely damaged joints and stressed nervous system I used the opposing lifts “methodology” from my 20s to around 45 with success. From there on something changed, but previously someone mentioned the brightness of burning the candle I think…I burned it friend and it’s showing now with arthritis and such. Anyhow, the opposing movements in superset fashion seems to help in caloric and cardio expenditure. I detest cardio and always have even though I do not find it too terribly taxing. I work 12 hour shift rotations and have to set for long periods and have found this to be one of the worst things that has ever happened to me. So, I have recently went back to my original methodology of training and found it to be similar to what you are describing throughout the thread above.
My apology to all for being so wordy to equivocally ask if you had tried opposing movements in superset fashion.
I have occasionally used opposing movements for supersets, yes. I do that for different reasons…. If I’m trying to just get more in, or, trying to amp up what I had planned just a hair. Since I don’t use this on large movements like squats or deads, there’s no interference with trying to lift more, but that’s a rarity lately anyway .