Workout Help For Those Over 50

HappyTrails7

I've been doing a lot of reading on the Internet to try and find the best workout routine for those over 50. The more I look the more confused I get. Cardio articles say those over 50 need cardio, the weight articles imply that lifting is the way to go, some promote cross training, and I won't even get into the supplement articles.

I have also looked for books on the subject, but there just doesn't seem to be a lot out there, at least not that many with rave reviews.

Maybe I am looking in the wrong place or using the wrong keywords in my searches.

I want to help my body, not damage it by doing the wrong workout routines, with that being said any suggestions would be appreciated, especially from people who have "been there and doing that."

Thanks!

frangrann

It probably depends on your current level of fitness but you need both irregardless of your age……Start slow and work up. Seek a trainers help if you are going to a gym. Weight machines are easier if you don't know what to do. You can walk, run, bike, swim, mix it up. 30 min weights/30 min cardio, 3-5x's/wk, would be a good goal.

Cherimoose

It depends on your goal, which you didn't state. For general fitness, i think the most important thing is to stay moving. This means walking, cardio, gardening, and other lower-intensity activities.. preferably involving balance & coordination (as opposed to a stationary bike, for example). Strength training is important too, but it can't be done often enough to be the sole form of activity.
A good strength program for your age bracket is New Rules of Lifting for Life. Or work with a good personal trainer.. especially if you have orthopedic issues.

Jani22

I'm 64. I walk a lot, do some cardio and weights in the gym but my main exercise is swimming. I use the pool at the gym, swim for half an hour then do 20 minutes of my own aquarobics with plastic eights to add resistance - squats, lunges, spot marching - but you have to not mind putting your face under water for these. Then I swim again for as long as I want to. Today it was another half hour.

49Elle

Hi, I'm female and 10 years older than you and on a similar journey.

I have some joint degeneration in my knees & hips and carry some back pain from horse riding injuries when younger... as well as way too much weight - so considering my position and having done as you did researched various recommendations I decided on strength training with resistance bands (you can take them anywhere), cycling (I purchased a Greenspeed Magnum recumbent tadpole trike which folds... can take it anywhere too) and in the warmer months I was swimming daily but now as its colder where I live - the 'no excuses' treadmill is in my living room.

Any exercise I do is preceded with stretching routine.. if we don't warm up and stretch the muscles damage could be caused to soft tissue - I learnt the correct form and methods from attending a group strength training class each week

Living activities..gardening ect I now do not include in my exercise count for calorie gain as only consistent regular exercise is my goal as the weight is slowly but surely being lost.

I had pretty much given up this quest to be slim and fit, but then I took stock in January this year and considered like you what my neglect and ignoring my issues was going to only bring me grief. So since January my bike rides have extended from 5 to 8 miles (approx. 8 to 13kilometers) and I enjoy a bit of hill as it is more challenging and as the weight is coming off am finding it easier each week.

Cheers,
Elle

HappyTrails7

Thanks for the replies everyone.

#Frangrann - I will be working out at home, I have a weight machine, dumb bells, elliptical, recumbent bike, bicycle, and pool (4 months). I have a treadmill but it kills my knees, so it will be sold soon. The most recent purchase was the elliptical, but then I read that too much cardio isn't good for you, which got me searching the web, as I don't want to do more damage to the body.

#Cherimoose - My goal is to drop 50 more pounds, lost 14 so far, but want to get down to 180. After the weight is off, I want to maintain a healthy active lifestyle, so general fitness as you mentioned. I am currently bicycling, elliptical, and light weights.

#Jani22 - I enjoy swimming but can only currently do it 4 months out of the year.

#12dream - It is encouraging to know that I am not in this alone.

What I am taking away so far is to do a little of everything in moderation, which makes sense.

I truly appreciate the help.

RECowgill

You should work out doing the thing that you like the most. If you dont know what you like, try different things till something clicks. The most important thing with exercise is to find something you will stay motivated to do and can be consistent with. You will make no progress towards your goals if it doesn't work for you.

You say you want to drop 50lbs, you can do that with almost anything. Weight training, cardio, P90X, swimming, some combination thereof. Like I said, you need to discover what works for you. Try something, when it doesn't work, change it.

While I'm only 41, your age shouldn't matter unless you have some health condition that prevents you from doing something. You can do anything. There are 75 year old heavy lifters with far more strength than I have.

Incidentally its the same thing with food, you have to figure out what works for you. You won't be able to drop 50lbs of fat with an exercise routine, you need to figure out your food too. The answers to both are highly personal to you. I only recommend that you find something that is sustainable and not temporary- no 2 month diets and the like. Those do not work because you're not teaching yourself anything you can live with, and odds are you'll put the weight back on after some time. Same thing with exercise, it can be anything you enjoy doing, but the point is you should want to do it so you keep going back to it for decades to come.

BigGuy47

I'm over 50. I exercise 6 days a week alternating between resistance training and light cardio (walking). Due to arthritis I don't run or do HIIT. For resistance training I use a combination of BWF exercises, dumbbells and a suspension trainer. I think weight training or some form of resistance training is important to reduce the muscle loss as we age. My rheumatologist recommends resistance training to strengthen the muscles that support the joints. I have to agree with her, I feel better now (after a few years of training) than I did ten years ago (sedentary lifestyle).

Here are a couple of resources for training:
http://www.nerdfitness.com/
http://strengthunbound.com/

For dropping the weight focus on your diet.

sijomial

For me my age is irrelevant apart from progress and recovery being slower.

Sure as a generalisation in our 50's we may have had more time to accumulate injuries and in particular degenerative conditions but I detest the idea that I should train in some special way simply because I'm in my 50's. Yes I have to make allowances for mashed up knees and back but that's due to injury and not simply age.

I'm goal oriented and self-competitive the same as I've always been whether it's weights or cardio.

My advice would be the same irrespective of age, try everything and constantly push your limits in a progressive way.

justsayinisall

Not yet 50, close though. I just wanted to chime in with the story of a woman at my gym. I noticed her when I first started going. I thought to myself that she was probably in her mid to late 60's. She was my idol! I would watch her on the treadmill and then she would go and lift weights. Someone eventually introduced me to her and I find out that, this women I thought was in her 60's, was 89 years old! 89.

When I asked her how long she had been going to the gym, she told me she started at the age of 54. She walks at the mall 3 days a week and then does the gym 2 days a week. She tells me her secret is to just move. Do SOMETHING. ANYTHING.

So it's never too late. Just do something.

meritage4

I'm over 5o and tend to avoid high impact activity.
But I walk, cross country ski, bike, yoga, paddle etc.

SweatLikeDog

Take care of your joints and your back. If you mess these up, your ability to move well will diminish. Favor lower impact activities. Other than that you should incorporate strength training to maintain muscle mass. Cover these bases and you should be moving well for decades.

AllanMisner

I'm 49, so not far from where you're at. I'll go over a few considerations that will hopefully help you decide which exercise program best suits you:

1) What are your overall fitness goals? You listed weight loss (which I'll read as fat loss). That is going to come from what and how much you eat. Food only becomes relevant beyond that as a fuel and materials for rebuilding. That means you'll need to focus your macros and meal timing to suit the program you're on. The exercises you do should be geared toward your other fitness goals (strength, muscle mass retention/gain, cardiovascular, endurance, mobility, balance, speed, agility, etc.) What do you want as a fitness goal? Hint: It can be more than one, if you're willing to work harder to achieve more than one goal.

2) What are your current constraints? Do you have health or mobility issues that you'll have to address or work around. I have issues with my ankles, so any court sports will be a problem for me. My current cardiovascular tolerance for hard, medium duration is limited, so I struggle with certain high metabolic sessions. Knowing yourself will help you define what your progression will look like.

3) Are there any activities you love (or hate)? Work in the ones you love and avoid the ones you hate (unless you need them to meet other goals).

4) Do you have a proper time horizon? We didn't get out of shape and overweight in a year, so it is unreasonable to think we'd fix all of that in less than a year. Set achievable milestones, and work hard to get there.

I hope this helps.

mk2fit

Am 56. Does age really matter? I switch around between elliptical/stationary bike and walking and some exercise DVDs, mostly low to medium impact. I have lost 40 lbs in just over 5 months. Do what works for you. If you are not sure, ask your doctor.
PS I am female

HappyTrails7

I really admire the MFP community, as the level of feedback has been so detailed. It will take me a while to digest all the information. Thank you all.

My mind might not be in the right place. My thoughts are that athletes retire because they can't keep up with the younger stronger players. With that in mind, I thought the exercise routines would change.

My weight loss does indeed equate to fat loss, which is my primary goal. Next in line would be cardiovascular health. Muscle mass retention with some gain would be third. Mobility is also very important. Is this reaching for too much, too soon? Would it be best to focus on losing the weight first, or would a multifaceted approach be healthier and better utilization of time?

scottb81

At the highest level elite athletes retire because they can't keep up with younger elite athletes. But none of us are elite so that doesn't apply.

Training is training no matter your age. You train as hard and as much as is needed to reach your goals and allow for sufficient recovery between sessions. That my change some as you age but its going to be a little different for everyone.

Just because you are in your 50s doesn't mean you can't be in competitive shape if that's what you want. I run and when I am well trained I regularly finish in the top 10% of everyone in any local race I enter at any distance and I'm over 50. The reason is that I train harder than 90% of all the other people out there.

So, don't sell yourself short. Set a goal and then work towards it. You'll never know what's possible until you give it your best.

AllanMisner

There is a big difference in what elite athletes and the rest of us go through. To perform at the levels they do, they push their bodies extremely hard, and as a result, they break (injuries). The cumulative injuries is what causes them to have to retire. You and I are going to train smarter and avoid injuries (at the very least avoid cumulative injuries).

Paint the house, mend the fence, go grocery shopping, and finish reading that book. You can do all of these, but how would you go about it? To get the most noticable results (i.e., accomplishing one of them) you would want to focus on just one until you get there. That said, you may still find it good to be working on two (I paint during the day and read in the evening). Based on your priorities, it sounds like you should focus on the fat loss (and working on cardiovascular fitness coordinates well with that goal). I have a feeling that strength/muscle mass will move up in your priorities as you approach your fat loss goal.

Enjoy!

Packerjohn

You mentioned mobility which is a big key. I'm 59 and working on this in addition to the cardio and weights which I have done since HS. I really like the mobility routine in this article/video:

http://www.defrancostraining.com/ask-joe/44-flexibilitymobility/302-joe-ds-qlimber-11q-flexibility-routine.html

The video is about 20 minutes due to the excellent coaching/instruction by Joe DeFranco, the actual routine will take about 10. You may not be able to do it all right away, but modify where needed and you should be good.

Best of luck.

TechOutside

I am turning 50 this weekend. I need to drop about 40 lbs, but it isn't my focus as much as strength and a healthy heart. I am a big guy (framed) and have pretty much always worked out my whole life to some degree, life just happened and it got away from me for a decade or so. I am focused on this though, this is important to me, so I am investing a lot of time on it. I am doing my best to make it to retirement standing on my feet as strong and healthy as I can be.

I do elliptical (because of knees) bicycling (knees again) and lots of weights. Not heavy like I used to at 20, but I am doing lots of weights. I live in a frozen wasteland that fair weather is only 6 months out of the year so bicycling is going to replace the Elliptical in a few weeks.

FWIW here is what have been doing for the last three months, this is what I can live with, but it isn't for everyone:

45 minutes on elliptical 5 days a week, and 1 day of HIIT also on the elliptical, 1 minute on/1 minute off for 20 minutes.

6 days a week I am splitting my weight training with modest weights, again not competing with my 20 yo self, but the amount keeps going up... those thoughts are hard to dismiss sometimes though and the numbers aren't too shabby for an old guy.

Mon Morning Cardio - Afternoon- Legs+ calves
Tues Morning Cardio - Afternoon- Back and Chest +abs
Wed Morning Cardio - Afternoon- Shoulders and Forearms + calves
Thurs Morning Cardio - Afternoon- Bicepts and Triceps +abs
Fri Morning Cardio - Afternoon- Legs+ calves
Sat Morning Cardio - Afternoon- Back and Chest +abs
Sunday Rest
(Edit sorry needed to check my calendar)

Then do it all over again but I sometimes reverse the weight sets from heavy to light and then light to heavy trying to trick my body into not getting comfortable. I rest between reps and sets for 1 minute to try and get out of the basement as soon as possible. I work out of my house and travel.. so... might as well work out for lunch when I am home, and I work out at night when I am in a hotel.

I am now maintaining around 2200-2400 calories per day eating 6 times per day, and on my day off I don't count, but I am watching. With a Carb=40 Protein 40 and fat 20 Macro Scheme most days.

I do use an HRM to monitor everything because I twitch that way and I measure and weight all my food. There were weeks the scale wouldn't move at all, but my clothes are loose in the important areas and tighter in the other important areas and my strength kept going up.

I am still pretty big, but that isn't my goal, my goal is to maintain as much muscle as possible while losing fat.

Finding your specific numbers and the food that YOU are willing to live with is what matters with consistency, which I think is the hardest part. There is a lot of trial and error involved because all the BMI/BMR/TDEE/New workout of the week guides are just that.. Guides. You are unique and you have to find that zen.

Good luck, you can do it.

lostangelntx

#1..Talk to your doctor. He/she knows your medical history and can steer you in the right direction as far as what you're target heart rate should be and what you should not do to inflame old injuries. Your doctor can also either work with you on nutrition or suggest a nutritionist for you to talk to about your personal needs.
#2 start slow and build up. Just because you can pick up 50 lbs doesn't mean you should start out doing so. Give your body time to build itself.
#3 mix it up and do what you enjoy.
Working out shouldn't be boring it should be something you look forward to. If you are looking forward to it you will stick with it.

csteuter

justsayinisall wrote: »

Not yet 50, close though. I just wanted to chime in with the story of a woman at my gym. I noticed her when I first started going. I thought to myself that she was probably in her mid to late 60's. She was my idol! I would watch her on the treadmill and then she would go and lift weights. Someone eventually introduced me to her and I find out that, this women I thought was in her 60's, was 89 years old! 89.

When I asked her how long she had been going to the gym, she told me she started at the age of 54. She walks at the mall 3 days a week and then does the gym 2 days a week. She tells me her secret is to just move. Do SOMETHING. ANYTHING.

So it's never too late. Just do something.

I needed to read this! That is so inspiring!

tekkiechikk

52 and started getting in shape in January. I downloaded lots of pre-made exercise and weight routines, some I liked, others I didn't, and finally found a good dumbbell workout from FitnessBliss.com. For cardio I do mainly treadmill, but also workouts from JessicaSmithTV (YouTube). I bought a HRM so I know what my heart rate is, too, during cardio. It's helped tremendously.

And if an exercise hurts, don't do it! There are lots of others (I can't do the Hip Abduction exercise, for example, so replaced it with either standing plies or leg swings... simple). Must be working because I actually have some muscle definition now.

Customize a routine and make it work for you. Good luck and keep moving

sofaking6

HappyTrails7 wrote: »

My weight loss does indeed equate to fat loss, which is my primary goal. Next in line would be cardiovascular health. Muscle mass retention with some gain would be third. Mobility is also very important. Is this reaching for too much, too soon? Would it be best to focus on losing the weight first, or would a multifaceted approach be healthier and better utilization of time?

You can focus on fat loss without totally leaving out strength. Do mostly cardio with some strength training and definitely do good stretching as often as you can and AFTER your workout not before. i.e. be nice and warm. And don't be afraid to try different things, some may not work for you but over time you'll build up a good repertoire that you can reshuffle and add to whenever you modify your goals.

For me, it's really important to feel that my fitness is improving, both cardio and strength, so I do both (lots of circuit training type workouts aka cardio with weights). Don't underestimate how effective compound movements (ie lunge with bicep curl) can be at elevating your heart rate. And a 15 minute stretch after every workout.

CaliforniaRower

I'm 50 1/2 and I am a rower on the water. I have heard that rowing machines in gyms are one of the best workouts people our age can get. (If you don't live on/near water) You might want to try that. Low impact, high results.

dsimmons107

sijomial wrote: »

For me my age is irrelevant apart from progress and recovery being slower.

Sure as a generalisation in our 50's we may have had more time to accumulate injuries and in particular degenerative conditions but I detest the idea that I should train in some special way simply because I'm in my 50's. Yes I have to make allowances for mashed up knees and back but that's due to injury and not simply age.

I'm goal oriented and self-competitive the same as I've always been whether it's weights or cardio.

My advice would be the same irrespective of age, try everything and constantly push your limits in a progressive way.

I agree with this. I am 60 and my highest weight was 260. I got down to 168 and am currently at 190.

triciavetter

for: justsayin - I loved your post. I know a few people in their 80-90's who are truly inspiring. "Just Move" is a great start. I just stood up from my desk and did stretches and squats! I sit in front of a computer and phone all day helping people. I'm tying to do some simple exercises whenever I can during the day. I'm 56 and even though I have some arthritis and back pain, I'm not letting it stop me. I think a combination is great.

snarlingcoyote

Honestly, I have no real advice for how you should reach your goals. I know what I've done, but that's all I could speak to.

However, as far as "keeping your eyes on the prize" so to speak - there is a fellow in my subdivision who is 70 if he is a day and he loops the rest of us runners in the neighborhood. I always feel like "dang it, if he can do this, I have no valid excuses" when I see him. Anytime I need even more inspiration, I go onto the local race timing website and look at the results from recent runs. There are men and women in their 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's out there posting good times. I have decided that I want to be one of those people one day. (Well, I want to have their times. . .I don't/won't race.)

shadowloss

As I'm approaching the midway point of life (50), I couldn't agree more with the comments I've read. I started "moving" about 6 months ago, and although I haven't been as consistent as I like, I can definitely tell a difference. The most important comment I read, is to find something you like to do. Lifting, walking, biking, racquetball, pickle ball, strolling the mall. Whatever it is that you enjoy. If you can find someone that likes the same thing, it's great to have an accountability partner.

I've got back to the point, where I can go racing through the sand dunes with my son on our ATV's and it may look easy, but it's one of the hardest workouts I do and I have a ball doing it.

blazergrad

I hit the big FIVE-OH last October and have been doing weight training for somewhere around 3.5-4 years now and I LOVE it. I hate doing cardio, other than when the weather's nice and I can get my handcycle out.... but I'm absolutely hooked on weight training. I definitely agree with what @RECowgill said, though... it's important to find something that you enjoy doing because that helps to ensure that you'll stick with it.

If you do decide to go the route of any form of weight training, I found this site some time back that has various articles on building muscle after 40.... https://buildingmuscleover40.wordpress.com/

BigGuy47

AllanMisner wrote: »

I have a feeling that strength/muscle mass will move up in your priorities as you approach your fat loss goal.

I would bet on it.

mdmess2013

If you are confused by all the suggestions, remember that any exercise that combines strength with cardio will give you the fastest overall fitness results. This has worked great for me, and I'm almost 50.
 
Consider buying some workout videos you can do at home.  I highly recommend Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred video.  It is not a new video, but it takes only 20 minutes and includes jumping jacks and jump rope motions for the cardio portions so its really suitable for all fitness levels.  You can burn 300+ calories in less than a 1/2 hour and it's under $10 on Amazon. I have stayed at Level 1 and Level 2 and I am dropping weight consistently while strengthening core and building muscle.
 
Also, an easy way to get pretty accurate calorie counts is to purchase an inexpensive heart rate monitor that will bluetooth to your cell phone.  I use the Wahoo TICKR and it works great (about $60 on Amazon).  If you download a free app like Digifit, it will upload your daily calorie burns to MFP automatically.
 
This way you can actually measure your food and calories, you would get a pretty solid answer for your true CICO numbers.  It has worked great for me... I'm down a steady 17 lbs in about 45 days!

With some daily exercise and calorie counting, you can change your life.  Just remember to be patient and use tried and true techniques. Good luck with your journey!