I am fast approaching 56 and lift 4 days a week. I am considering a 5 day routine. Just wondering what the old salts do, and what they consider best for themselves.
I turn 42 in a couple of weeks. 3-4x/week is good for me.
- Usually try and go 3 on, 1 off. Time and soreness premitting I’ll lift as many days in a row as I can. Depends a lot on what kind of lifting and routine you’re doing.
1 on 1 off for as long as I can take then I’ll insert an extra off day in here and there if I start getting joint-sore.
- 4-5 days a week on average. But will take a few days off to let everything recover. I am happy with my gains so I don’t feel the need to try and work out more often.
I used to work out 6 days a week in my 20’s. Looking back I was probably over training. My gains came much slower back then even though I was younger. My workouts were 2 - 2 1/2 hours. Now I try to keep it to 1 hour sometimes 1 1/2 hours, it depends on how much my partner and I rest (talk) between sets.
In my 20’s I could never put on size, even though I tried I could only get to 197lbs. I was very lean (6ft tall). Now I can put on size much easier. I started in July 07 at 195 and have been basically lifting heavy (for me) and eating a lot. Not exactly clean but not really bad either. I am at 220 now. My body fat is about what it was when I started. Strength wise I was stronger in my 20’s but I am pretty happy with my strength gains so far. Every month I am increasing my weights.
Anyway for me 4-5 days a week is enough for me. At least for right now it is.
In my crazy world days off happen. I go for 7 days a week and take the day off that happen. If I get a good run I will take days off. With cardio I do two workouts a day 6am weights and early evening cardio.
I don’t get all bent out of shape for missing days anymore. Not like I used to, back when I was truly insane. My body’s really great at letting me know whats up! I just have to make sure I’m always listening.
[quote]hel320 wrote:
Depends a lot on what kind of lifting and routine you’re doing. [/quote]
definitely hel - i train 5 or six days a week, and even sometimes twice in one day, but my sessions are short and i train each muscle group once a week. 35y/o
My schedule works great for me:
Stretch/Roll 5 days after training
Lift 4 days
Cardio the other 3 day
Sessions rarely exceed one hour and I never lift more than two days in a row. This allows me to bring it every time!
[quote]skidmark wrote:
1 on 1 off for as long as I can take then I’ll insert an extra off day in here and there if I start getting joint-sore.[/quote]
I’ll be 48 in a couple weeks, my training is a lot like skid’s, usually one on one off. Most weeks I’ll workout on Friday and Saturday, depends on my work schedule.
49yo, lifting 2 times a week.
I’m 52. I do a 5 way split over 10 to 12 days, depending on how I feel. One muscle group per workout , but I do abs every other day, and throw in a little extra bicep work when I’m up for it. I was always curious about periodizing, but haven’t tried it.
A couple of times a year, I back off to 3 workouts a week for a month, and eat only four meals a day during those phases.
45 It depends on what youre doing. Ive been doing a westside-type powerlifting routine, with 3 sessions per week instead of 4. My schedule has changed, so now I split those sessions in half and workout 6 times a week due to time constraints.
Its best to play around with it, and feel out your own recovery needs. it will be dependent on how heavy your weights are, and whether or not you do alot of cardio.
Seems to me that if you are doing light weights and consistent cardio, you can workout daily. if you do no cardio, and/or if you left heavy, it seems like I need 3 days recovery for each type of lift.
I might be on the younun side here
At 37 I do need to do more and more recovery/health type crap.
As a college jock I did 2x a day for 6 to 7 days a week way to much…
now I do 3 to 4 days a week, my work is physical so it can depend on that.
I either do 3 days of what is somewhat heavy for me or I do 2 days of lifting 2 days of conditioning
I will agree with mjnewland
that if you are doing more conditioning type work you can do more days in a row.
kmc
I lift 2 or 3 days a week, and do cardio usually two days. I’m 46, and at 3 days a week aches and pains often develop (less so at 2 days / week). That could probably be solved by a body-part split, but for now this is what I’m able to fit in to my life.
52 yo and shoot for 7 days a week. There are enough interruptions due to kids, work, etc that it usually ends up being closer to 4-5. If I get a good 7-10 days a row in, I will voluntarily take a day off.
As far as programs go, I go totally intuitive. I am not competing for anything, so no real reason to get all anal-retentive. Tend to do large muscle, multi-joint exercises (Bench, squat, DL, press, bent rows, power cleans) more than isolation type stuff. Usually go as heavy as I can handle in the low rep ranges, but occasionally will mix it up with some high rep, BB-type stuff. Throw in some kettebell stuff once in a while just for kicks.
Been working on my snatch and usually try to hit it every time I am in the gym to try and help ‘grease the groove’. Do progressively heavier reps until form starts to go and then I stop and move on the remainder of workout.
In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I am using some ‘supplementation’ that drastically increases my recovery capacity, and pre-supplementation, I was pretty much confined to 3-4X/week of fairly modest weights/reps.
Not surprisingly, the biggest obstacle I have is trying to work around my thoroughly trashed joints, which seem to migrate from here to there and back again.
Not saying its the best way, or even a good way, but that;'s how I do it right now.
Turning 58 this year. I lift 1 or occasionally 2 times a week. Might sound surprising, but I am still making great progress in my lifting. Staple of my training during the week is body weight excercises combat condition style. As for lifting my approach is very simplistic. Short, intense workouts comprising compound lifts like various versions of DL and squats.
Amen on the joint pain migration. Damn shoulders always have a little pain. Hell they hurt before i started lifting, so what the hell. Gonna start my new 5 day routine in Feburary.
I’m 62 and I train:
Sunday - Squat and assistance
Monday - Light bench and assistance
Thursday - Deadlift and assistance
Friday - Heavy bench and assistance
Every workout gets some light cardio/GPP
and some core work too.
Rick
52 years old. 5 day split plus one night of MMA.
37 y.o. I schedule gym time every day. I may go 5 days in a row, 7 days, or 8. Usually between the kids, life, injury, or work I have to take a day off, so I probably average 5 days a week.