Anyone start lifting at an older age?

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  • hcolligan
    hcolligan Posts: 75 Member
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    Started lifting a little last year when I was 51 and stepped it up recently. Doing dumbell routines from bb.com and fitness blender. Probably (definitely!) taking it slower than a younger person but I'm loving the challenge
  • SIMAKRA
    SIMAKRA Posts: 97 Member
    edited March 2016
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    Started at 56. Got me a trainer to learn proper form and exercises to increase my flexebility.
    Love the free weights, don't like the machines. Never lifted before and am totaly out of shape. But that also has an advantage, I see improvements every week ☺
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    There's a guy at my gym who started lifting in his early 40s and is now in his 60s and is a world champion and a world record holder in his age category in powerlifting.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    I've lifted off and on since being a teenager in the 70's but resumed serious training at 52.
    Like most returnees I made fairly spectacular progress at first. Four years on I have to fight tooth and nail to improve and I've hit various injury imposed limits.

    Do take it progressively as it's not just muscles that need to adapt, joints, tendons and ligaments also have to acclimatise and this takes longer for us older folks.
    Warm up is also more important now, I prefer to train in a pyramid style (high rep/low weight to low rep/high weight) as this gives me an exercise specific warm up and avoids injury/strains. I very rarely push beyond 3 rep max as that tends to be when something goes "twang"!

    If you are a serious cyclist (I am) then you will get training and recovery interference form having two training priorities. I do very little leg training with weights in the cycling season. Upper body work is nearly all big compound lifts with some abs/core and shoulder accessory work for my specific needs/wants.


  • oedipuss
    oedipuss Posts: 51 Member
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    I started again at 56 and am 58 now.
    Used to bodybuild in my early 30's but had to stop when my job demanded I spend 95% of my time on the road with no time to even visit hotel gyms!

    I'm hypothyroid but now my medication seems to be stabilised (for now) I'm back on the iron again doing free weights and LISS cardio so that my body doesn't get too hammered and adrenals too stressed and to help keep the metabolism ticking over nicely along with paying attention to what, how much and when I eat to take care of the weight gain that being hypo can bring before diagnosis and correct hormonal replacement.

    Enjoying it even more now, though the young guys in the weight room like to call me Iron Granny but they are always happy to spot for me and we have a good laugh! :)
    Sadly not very many ladies seem to want to join me in the free weights section with the usual excuses...."I don't want to get bulkeeeee". :| I just say to them that the great thing about having little sprout deltoids is that your bra straps don't fall down! :D
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
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    Even though I've been training on and off since I was 17 (approaching 45 in a few months) I am stronger than I have ever been. One thing I've found that helps me to keep going is to keep working on mobility. It's essential really. Look up DeFranco Agile 8 or get Kelly Starret at Mobi-Wod to get started.

    Never to late in the day to lift, just like it is never to late in life to lift.

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