Lifting weights at 58?

 

As you may know, or not, I hadn’t posted vlogs or blog entries in nearly a year. There are many reasons why but the main one was I had sustained a couple of injuries and I really had to focus on healing. After some months of taking it easy trying to mend a couple fractured ribs and a blown out shoulder, I prematurely tried to get back in the gym and it was detrimental to the healing process that I knew nothing about pertaining to someone my age. Note that my injuries weren’t sustained during training, but they effected my training and my newly founded healthy lifestyle. 

 While I was healing I didn’t quit living a healthy lifestyle. I just scaled it back and found other ways to continue that were far less strenuous on my body. I read some great books on training that I will share in the coming weeks that helped me get to where I am today…back in the gym and back on my chosen road to living a healthy lifestyle. 

 As I once again started a normal schedule of exercise I was pretty much doing everything but lifting weights. The pain I endured was still fresh on my mind and I just didn’t wanna risk falling back into all that. But eventually I went back into the gym and just started with some very light workouts. I have to say it felt fabulous. I gave it a lot of thought and I did a bunch of reading to help guide me back to lifting regularly. 

 First thing I needed to do was put my ego in check. I have nothing to prove to anyone except myself. So all the trying to lift five times my bodyweight was not on the menu. I learned that lifting lightweight with perfect form and high reps is just as effective as lifting a ton of weights risking injury. Yes at 57 soon to be 58 I had to take my time and get to know myself all over again. I had to test the waters and see what I could do, what I couldn’t do, and also what I just shouldn’t do. For those of you wondering, yes lifting weights at any age holds many rewards. Lifting weights after 50 can literally change your life.

 I have slowly put together a flexible schedule where the main objective is to get a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise in five to six days per week. I chose running, cycling, boxing and last but not least weight training. Where before my hiatus I was mainly doing weightlifting, boxing and martial arts. I end up with lifting weights two to three times per week now filling the rest of my days with running, cycling and boxing. 

 For my age range it is recommend to weight train two to three times per week so that’s what I am doing. If you are 50 or older I don’t recommend doing more than two to three days per week. You will benefit more from doing it less in this instance. Put more focus on proper form rather than looking to lift as much as you possibly can which is risky. If you’re not sure of your form, you can either get yourself a personal trainer till you learn proper form, or do I as I do, watch some YouTube videos. There are some great videos that will help you along and I will be posting some videos on my YouTube channel in the coming weeks to help and to motivate everyone. Light is Alright is my new motto in the gym. Sure there are days I feel fantastic and I get tempted to slap on them plates. But like I said, you have to keep the ego in check. 

 I will post some benefits of lifting after 50 as well as a few tips I found below to help get you in the right frame of mind. This is a topic I will be covering in the next few days, getting your mind right. Having a champion mind set will change your world believe me I have tested it and it works. For those of you that can’t afford a gym membership or a weight set to train at home, I will making some videos on what is called prison workouts where you can get really innovative using whatever you have laying around the house to get the desired outcome we seek which is getting fit. Till next time, happy health! 

Benefits

In general, as we grow older, muscle fibers shrink in number and in size (atrophy) and become less sensitive to messages from the central nervous system. This contributes to a decrease in strength, balance, and coordination. Fortunately, beginning a strength training exercise routine after the age of 50 can halt these declines and boost health in a number of ways:

Reverse Aging

Although there is no question that people start to experience at least some degree of muscle atrophy after age 40, the extent to which this occurs depends on a number of factors, including genetics, diet, smoking and alcohol use, and—most importantly—physical activity level.

Research shows inactivity is responsible for the majority of age-associated muscle loss, and resistance exercise can reverse much of this by increasing the size of shrunken muscle fibers.

Strengthen Bones

Weight training increases bone mass, which lowers the risk of developing osteoporosis and fractures. Strength training adds more weight to the skeleton by building muscle, which stimulates the bones to strengthen and grow.

Ease Joint Pain

Proper strength training doesn't apply stress directly to joints and is ideal for people with arthritis. In fact, rheumatologists with the Arthritis Foundation recommends weight training for patients with arthritis. Although exercise cannot reverse arthritic changes, lifting weights helps alleviate symptoms by strengthening the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that surround joints.

Better Quality of Life

Resistance exercise can also help older adults live independently by giving them the strength they need to perform everyday tasks. There is even evidence that resistance exercise can help people sleep better and can improve the mood of mildly to moderately depressed individuals.

Tips

1. How much weight should I use?

Determining the amount of weight you should lift depends on the number of repetitions you can do properly, according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines. In general, you want to work with a weight you can lift properly for eight to 15 reps.

"An exception may be rehab exercises (for instance, those "prescribed" by a physical therapist to alleviate a particular problem), many folks over 60 do not like to strain, and that's okay. It is suggested you start slow building reps up to 20 or so until you're comfortable, and then gradually increasing the resistance and again building up the number of reps.

2. How many sets and reps are best?

Traditional weight training for optimal strength goals involves three to five sets of eight to 12 reps, but "that's a rare goal for boomers. Spine and knee problems can occur when working with heavy resistance. A safer and more practical idea is to do a variety of exercises and multiple sets that engage the same muscles.

"For example, instead of three sets of straight biceps curls, do a set or two of pulldowns (which targets back muscles and biceps), then do a set of biceps curls with a squat or lunge. So a total of three sets of exercises targeting the same basic set of muscles for eight to 15 reps works best for most people.

3. How often should I weight train? Can I work out on back-to-back days?

Beginners benefit from twice-a-week training, at least for the first month or two. "After that, three to four times a week can be done if the goals warrant it."

Weight training workouts usually require a day's rest in between to allow muscles to recover; the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) recommends allowing 48 to 72 hours of recovery time between exercise sessions. However, if you want to train daily, spread out the muscle groups and body parts on different days. For example, do a chest workout one day and arms another, etc.

4. How do I know when it's time to increase resistance?

Again, it depends on your needs. "In general, once you can lift a weight properly without pain 15 to 20 times you can add weight."

Increase weight for larger muscle groups, such as legs, 10 percent at a time but only raise resistance five percent for smaller muscles, like arms and shoulders.