Older adults lifting weights

meerkat70

Does anyone have a sense of what an older man (75) should be aiming for on the bench? He's currently benching 60% his bodyweight, and we're moving up a little each week. I can't find much on the net about older men lifting weights. Would he want to still be aiming for the same kind of strength gains as a younger man? So would we be aiming at roughly his bodyweight in the medium term? Or is that unrealistic for a man his age?

He's generally pretty fit and well, and has always had a strong physique, but life circumstances have meant his activity levels have been very restricted in the last two years. He's been lifting with me in a slightly haphazard way for about the last 3 months, but we're trying to follow a more structured programme now, and I thought some sense of what we're aiming for would be sensible.

porffor

No advice, but total Kudos to your dad for being a lifter at his age! Sounds like he knows what he's doing and as long as he's comfortable with the weight I'd say go for it.. but then I'm not a doctor or physical trainer! :laugh:

BrianSharpe

Hmmmm, the closest I could find in terms of a definitive answer is for men 50-59 bench pressing 75% of body weight would put them in the 50th percentile (average) and 97% of body weight would put them in the 90th percentile (1RM).(and I'm not sure how reliable the information on livestrong.com is)

As testosterone levels naturally decline with age (partially reversible with lifting and increased muscle mass) it's unlikely that he'd experience the same gains as a man in his 20s or 30s. Having said that, every man (and woman) over the age of 40 should be lifting if they want to maintain lean muscle mass.

If he's doing 60% at 75 and progressing all I can say is.....I'm impressed (and hope I can be doing the same).

This is a little OT but I thought you may find it interesting.....http://www.ifbb.com/page.php?id=14

meerkat70

Thanks Brian, that's really helpful, and the link is very interesting.

He's doing pretty well. He does a half hour of cardio (mostly static bike, but he bikes outdoors with me sometimes, and every now and again looks wistfully at the C25k). He used to be pretty athletic - running, playing football, a good swimmer. But it's amazing how a few years of being a stuck-at-home, sedentary carer can hit that physical ability. He's still in really good shape for a man his age - most people think he's much younger. I hope I have half his energy and health when I'm his age.

Lozze

Meerkat my advice would be for your dad to talk to his doctor. My grandfather had health issues and was told to lift weights but was warned not to go to heavy.

meerkat70

Just wondering if anyone else had any thoughts on this?

GAsoulstar

It is great that your dad is still working out at his age. I am inspired. I just read an article on WEDmd and it stated this:

"Researchers report that men and women over the age of 60 have to lift weights more often than younger adults to maintain muscle mass and muscle size."

Azdak

I don't know that you need to focus on numerical goals. Normative tables are about all there is--but I don't know of a lot of research that has been done on men in their 70s, so I would be skeptical of using those as a guideline (even the ones for younger men are not that useful, in my experience).

Not to mention that, when you get into older adults, there are greater variances between individuals and more significant health interactions. I really think it is best to see each individual as an "experiment of one" and go from there.

You do need to be aware of potential health risks: hypertension, history of heart attack, heart disease, or heart surgey, orthopedic concerns. These don't necessarily contraindicate weight lifting, but require a modifcation of the program.

Progressively increasing reistance is still important, and proper form is essential. He can probably go a little higher than 60%, although it is not necessary. It is still important to work to a point where the last few reps are difficult. I would also make sure that he is including functional, stability, and balance exercises in his routine and not just pushing iron.

meerkat70

I've been trying to persuade him into a body balance class, but I think he's visualising it as all lyotards. I'll talk to him again.

He has no cardio issues, so I think we're ok with that, for now. He doe really enjoy the strength work.

Thanks so much for the information - all very helpful

J

Azdak

I've been trying to persuade him into a body balance class, but I think he's visualising it as all lyotards. I'll talk to him again.

He has no cardio issues, so I think we're ok with that, for now. He doe really enjoy the strength work.

Thanks so much for the information - all very helpful

J

Sometimes the classes are geared towards people that are really infirm, so that might not be the best choice. I was thinking of things like squats, squats with different exercises (shoulder press, one-arm row on a cable machine, etc), step ups, step ups with different leg lifts (hip extension, flexion or abduction), one-legged Romanian deadl lifts w/dumbbells, various types of unstable surface training. For someone who is still relatively hardy, those exercises are more appropriate.

meerkat70

We're doing squats, rows, shoulder press and deadlifts as part of the programme we're doing - cables, dumbbells and bars, depending on what's available at the time, really. I haven't tried the unstable surface thing (I'm assuming this involves doing exercises while standing on those rubber wibbly things?) - I'll look that up.

anemoneprose

exrx says rep range for older than 50 should be 10-15 to start

http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Tips.html#anchor1072724


lyle mcdonald's four-part series on beginning weight training (in which he says that for *some* populations, machine weights might not be such a terrible idea) - read all 4 articles to get the good nuggets

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/beginning-weight-training-part-1.html

Huffdogg

Barbell training is also excellent for maintaining bone density, which obviously is a huge concern as age begins to wear us down.

beansprouts

I've been trying to persuade him into a body balance class, but I think he's visualising it as all lyotards. I'll talk to him again.

He has no cardio issues, so I think we're ok with that, for now. He doe really enjoy the strength work.

Thanks so much for the information - all very helpful

J

In the US... Falls are the number one contributing cause of permanent disability and death for otherwise healthy elderly individuals...Body balance classes should definitely be encouraged!

greenbaymichk

Would a one-time visit with a physical therapist be in order? The therapist would be in the position to assess your father's current ability and give you an idea on how to increase his strength training. They would also be able to give you an idea on the physical abilities of the elderly, since they spend a great deal of time working with them.

The previous comments about strength and balance are right on the mark!

Your dad sounds like a determined sort - hats off to him for his perseverance.

Jynus

http://youtu.be/SMWI4tZJN2A

theres a 70 year old kicking *kitten*. So older adults can very easily lift weights and do well doing it.

Azdak

Would a one-time visit with a physical therapist be in order? The therapist would be in the position to assess your father's current ability and give you an idea on how to increase his strength training. They would also be able to give you an idea on the physical abilities of the elderly, since they spend a great deal of time working with them.

The previous comments about strength and balance are right on the mark!

Your dad sounds like a determined sort - hats off to him for his perseverance.

Unless he has some specific acute clinical condition, a physical therapist would not be necessary, depending on the facility. At a medically-based fitness center like ours, the fitness specialists and some of the personal trainers have the expertise and experience to assess and prescribe exercise for individuals of any age and almost any medical background.