Anyone Over 50 Here?
arabianhorselover
Posts: 1,488 Member
Hi. Wondering if I am too old for this. My goal is to slim down, and I would like to see some muscle. I also want to be stronger. However, I don't want to hurt myself.
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never too old! lifting 'heavy' is relative -it's heavy -for-you-. Make sure that you have good form and you are not jumping in beyond your capabilities, and there's no reason why you shouldn't lift!
the benefits for your bone health, hormones etc are so good
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Hi. Wondering if I am too old for this. My goal is to slim down, and I would like to see some muscle. I also want to be stronger. However, I don't want to hurt myself.
50 isn't old !!!!!!!!
I'm 53 and on my 6th week of Stronglifts. Never too old to start.0 -
ME! (raises hand)
I am 56 and have been lifting for about 3 years now. It's never too late to start. I have a great group of friends, many of them in their 50's, and most lift heavy.
I do it for my health. Lifting is recommended by just about everyone to decrease the chances of getting all kinds of diseases related to aging. Looking good is just a serendipitous bonus! LOL0 -
Totally off track, but KitKat, I love your profile pic... That baby is adorable! My yoga teacher had my do this move on Thursday and my inner thighs are still aching!!0
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Totally off track, but KitKat, I love your profile pic... That baby is adorable! My yoga teacher had my do this move on Thursday and my inner thighs are still aching!!
Thanks. She is my adorable 7 month old granddaughter who is learning to crawl. Only she goes backwards, LOL. She went as far as she could and hit a wall. Kept trying to go and her legs split. Babies are so flexible.0 -
Thank you, ladies. Just making sure! I don't know much about this lifting program. I have been working out at the gym, but not following any specific program. It gets so confusing with so many different opinions out there on what is best.
I have a lot of learning to do, but at least I'm here!0 -
I'm 51 and have been doing SL for almost a year. It is good to be strong. Go for it!0
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From what I've read, it sounds like this program would take a lot of time - which I do not have. How much time do you all spend at it?0
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how much time do you usually spend at the gym? you wouldn't need to do any of that in addition to the SL (unless you wanted to!)
to start with it takes around half an hour, this increases with weight/rests. but then you can change to a 3x5 or other programme so it doesn't take so long again. I'm at around an hour now, and that is about as much as I'm willing to do!0 -
Initially, it won't take long. At most, 45 minutes and that's if you stretch out your rest times between sets. Most likely, it'll take around 30 minutes. As the weights get heavier, it'll take longer as you'll have to rest longer. Once it starts taking you over an hour, you can drop to 3x5. It currently takes me an hour to do Workout A and an hour 15 to do Workout B at 3x5. I'm almost done with the cycle though, so I'm sticking it out.
ETA: Lydia beat me to it.0 -
From what I've read, it sounds like this program would take a lot of time - which I do not have. How much time do you all spend at it?
I used to take about 45 min at the beginning. Now it takes me 1.5 hours, three times a week, because I have to take a lot more rest between sets than I used to. You will know soon whether you like it enough to invest the time--some people don't stick with it after a few weeks, and some get addicted. This is the only thing I do at the gym, and it's totally worth the time investment.0 -
Well, I'm really confused on what to do. What would be the best way to get started?0
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Well, I'm really confused on what to do. What would be the best way to get started?
Go to the gym, warm up on an exercise bike for 5 minutes. Then go to the squat rack, practice an air squat to make sure you can get to the right depth (crease of hip just below the top of the knee, so the top of your thigh is parallel to the floor). Then put a barbell on your back and try five squats. A couple of times. If that feels manageable, add two 5 lb plates to the bar. Do 5 sets of 5 reps each of that. That's your first squat workout. If the 55 lb squat (45 lb bar plus 10 lb) feels too light, don't worry--the weights quickly build up because you increase the weight every workout.
Next, you can practice the bench press--for someone female and older, an Olympic bar might be too heavy, so look around to see if there is a shorter bar or a women's bar (they are lighter). Practice the bench press following the same routine. Some people use dumbbells until they can press 20 lb in each hand, and then switch to the bar. For this lift, either get someone to spot you or set the bench in a power rack (there are videos on youtube that explain how that works). Whatever you lift, aim for 5 sets of 5, and do not start with too heavy a weight. Again, you'll increase it next time.
And finally, practice the deadlift. You can try the bare bar set on hooks in a power rack at about the height the bar would end up if it had 45 lb plates on it, resting on the floor. Practice lifting it five times--just one set of 5 for this lift. If your gym has bumper plates (they are usually colorful and rubbery-looking, and are designed to bounce off the floor when dropped in Olympic weightlifting), those often come in smaller increments and you can start at the correct height without using the rack with relatively small weights that a beginner can move. The very first deadlift I tried was 100 lb, and it was too light, so I moved to 110 lb that same day. It might not work out that way for you--I am mentioning this because the weight one can deadlift is bigger than people think.
There is a sticky that describes the program. If you do not mind doing some reading, I really recommend the book Starting Strength, which outlines a program for strength training that StrongLIfts is a version of. There is a lot more detail in that book than what you would find on any website; it describes proper technique at length, too. There are chapters on the squat, the deadlift, the overhead press, the bench press, and the power clean--each lift gets many, many pages. And there is a chapter on programming--how to order the lifts, what to do when you get stuck, what to do about equipment, etc.0 -
Thank you so much. I have been doing squats for about a week just with my own weight, which seems to be enough for now. I actually tried the deadlift tonight at the gym. I just had the bar and two 10 pound weights. I wanted to work on my form first of all. I don't know how much the bar weighs. Mostly I don't want to mess up my back.
I know nothing about the bench press, except I suppose I've seen guys do it. Will have to read up on that one.
I will check out the book you mentioned. Right now what I'm doing at the gym takes me over an hour, plus I'm doing abdominal work and walking. So maybe I could find time for this program.0 -
Thank you so much. I have been doing squats for about a week just with my own weight, which seems to be enough for now. I actually tried the deadlift tonight at the gym. I just had the bar and two 10 pound weights. I wanted to work on my form first of all. I don't know how much the bar weighs. Mostly I don't want to mess up my back.
I know nothing about the bench press, except I suppose I've seen guys do it. Will have to read up on that one.
I will check out the book you mentioned. Right now what I'm doing at the gym takes me over an hour, plus I'm doing abdominal work and walking. So maybe I could find time for this program.
Yeah, the steps I outlined would be the entire workout. Take enough time between sets to catch your breath, and resume when you feel ready. The rests will need to get longer as the weights get heavier. You can add some stretching or foam rolling at the end if you start getting sore.
Regular (Olympic size) barbells are 7 feet long and weigh about 45 lb. Some gyms have fixed weight bars that weigh less, but ultimately you would want to get used to the feel of the bar so the sooner you can switch to that, the better.
The best thing about this program is that you get strong all over without doing any isolation exercises. Abs, forearms, deltoids, back--everything gets worked. No ab work needed 0 -
I'm sure the bar I was using wasn't 7 feet long.
I've always assumed that the people I've seen with the visible stomach muscles were doing a lot of abdominal work to get that way. Hard to believe a person wouldn't have to do any of that stuff. Especially if their stomach is really out of shape.
As far as Cardio, I would think everyone should do it for their heart health, if noting else.0 -
you only get visible abs with really low body fat I'm afraid.. you can have them, but they won't show otherwise!0
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I know that, but I assume most of these people do a lot of abdominal work as well as having low body fat.0
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I'm sure the bar I was using wasn't 7 feet long.
I've always assumed that the people I've seen with the visible stomach muscles were doing a lot of abdominal work to get that way. Hard to believe a person wouldn't have to do any of that stuff. Especially if their stomach is really out of shape.
Nope, that's not true. Trust me, abs get plenty of work under the bar when you squat a heavy weight. All of your trunk muscles, back and front, are working in hard isometric contraction to hold your spine erect. This does not happen with weak abs.As far as Cardio, I would think everyone should do it for their heart health, if noting else.
By all means continue, but keep in mind that older people have a harder time recovering from strenuous activity, and cardio can interfere with recovery when you do progressive strength training. Your cardiovascular system also adapts to the stress of increased blood pressure during heavy lifting--the stress is considerable, and the blood vessels and your heart all need to be in decent shape to withstand it.
The only cardio I do is walk my dog. No health complaints here. In fact, my ability to climb six floors of stairs without getting winded has never been better, and it is far better now than it was when I mostly did cardio. The reason is that this is an anaerobic effort, and you are better adapted to it after training anaerobically. But I also do not get winded much when I go for a long walk.0 -
Well, if it does work that way, it is a wonderful thing. It would be nice not to spend time doing unpleasant abdominal exercises. And it would be nice not to have to worry about getting in enough walking, also.
I was planning to purchase a heart rate monitor, but I probably wouldn't need one if I wasn't worrying about cardio.0 -
To be honest, I've always done a lot of walking--I've lived in cities most of my life so I don't even consider it exercise, and it would never interfere with recovery from lifting for me. I think walking is one of the easiest and healthiest things that humans can do for themselves. When I say things about cardio in this context, I mean more strenuous activities, such as biking or running or ellipticals. I do not consider those necessary for someone who walks at least 30 minutes a day and lifts three times a week.0
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Well, I'm unlikely to get into running any time soon. You always hear that you have to work abdominal muscles every day, though. Supposedly they are different than other muscles.0
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Well, I'm unlikely to get into running any time soon. You always hear that you have to work abdominal muscles every day, though. Supposedly they are different than other muscles.
Nah. People are obsessed with visible abs in this culture. It's kind of bizarre, considering that very few people actually see your abs. Unless you expose them to the world compulsively every five seconds, Marky Mark style. Functional abdominal strength is extremely important, and it needs to be counterbalanced by strong spinal erectors and obliques. In other words, your entire torso needs to be strong. There are many ways to get there, but crunches are not the most direct or effective way. Now, I hear there are people out there who truly love ab work, and I am not going to stop anyone from doing it no matter what I say here. I personally haven't done a crunch or a sit-up in years. I don't like and don't do specific ab work, but I am not weak.0 -
Let me tell you that when I first started with the heavy squats and deadlifts my abs were so sore that I had to hold my tummy when I coughed! At first I didn't put two and two together and couldn't figure out why my abs were so sore. The next workout made it very clear where the soreness came from! Trust me, your abs will get a serious workout. Btw I'm 47 years old and have MS. You are not too old to do this! Just pay attention to the cues your body gives you and go at your own speed. Good luck!! :-)0
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Thank you. I guess I will try. I have been doing 5 different leg machines at the gym, 1 abdominal machine, 1 tricep machine plus other tricep exercises, the lat pulldown machine, stuff with dumbbells for biceps, calf raises, a couple of shoulder exercises, plus abdominal work 5 days a week. This in addition to walking most days for at least 1/2 hour. All of this does take a lot of time, and I know machines are not the best way to go.
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Let me tell you that when I first started with the heavy squats and deadlifts my abs were so sore that I had to hold my tummy when I coughed! At first I didn't put two and two together and couldn't figure out why my abs were so sore. The next workout made it very clear where the soreness came from! Trust me, your abs will get a serious workout. Btw I'm 47 years old and have MS. You are not too old to do this! Just pay attention to the cues your body gives you and go at your own speed. Good luck!! :-)
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bump0
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Bump for Ray's wife.0
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Let me tell you that when I first started with the heavy squats and deadlifts my abs were so sore that I had to hold my tummy when I coughed! At first I didn't put two and two together and couldn't figure out why my abs were so sore. The next workout made it very clear where the soreness came from! Trust me, your abs will get a serious workout. Btw I'm 47 years old and have MS. You are not too old to do this! Just pay attention to the cues your body gives you and go at your own speed. Good luck!! :-)
You're totally right about abs getting a workout during heavy squats and deadlifts, but what you are describing is kind of weird. Abs would not get sore unless you are extending your spine while your abdominal muscles are contracting. Did you have a problem in your early squatting career with overextending your back?
The function of abdominal muscles in compound lifts (such as squats, deadlifts, and the press) is discussed in detail here, and this article also explains why your abs are working hard while not getting sore if you are holding your trunk rigid under load:
http://startingstrength.com/index.php/site/article/abs#.UkyHrCQ1Gll0
