I know I deserve a big “Boo-hoo-wah-wah” because I’m just shy of 30, but I’ve found that spending more time at yoga has really paid off. It might just be that I pounded a lot of ground as a grunt, or spend a lot of time on my ass studying, but the extra flexibility workouts seem to go a long way.
Plus, I have a theory that watching 21-year-olds writhe on the floor will allow me to live forever. I will let you know how that goes.
Well, it looks like at 74 years old, I am the oldest in this thread.
I work out in my home gym, with free weights. I have made a lot of my own gear. A trap bar, a monster fat bar, and a no bullshit power rack. I use a treadmill to warm up on, doing heavy hands moves for my shoulders before I lift weights.
I manage my diet carefully, and use a heart rate monitor (Suunto t6) to help measure energy expenditure during workouts, and to keep track of my cardio fitness. My body fat is around 9%.
I am a prostate cancer survivor (so far) so assume I cannot/should not engage in HRT.
I agree with everyone – it was a very good post.
[quote]mikingery wrote:
Well, it looks like at 74 years old, I am the oldest in this thread.
I work out in my home gym, with free weights. I have made a lot of my own gear. A trap bar, a monster fat bar, and a no bullshit power rack. I use a treadmill to warm up on, doing heavy hands moves for my shoulders before I lift weights.
I manage my diet carefully, and use a heart rate monitor (Suunto t6) to help measure energy expenditure during workouts, and to keep track of my cardio fitness. My body fat is around 9%.
I am a prostate cancer survivor (so far) so assume I cannot/should not engage in HRT.
I agree with everyone – it was a very good post.[/quote]
Not to be taken as medical advice, but HRT and prostate cancer may not be mutually exclusive. I’d at least ask your doc.
[quote]hankr wrote:
“Drugs / Alcohol:
Please. You’re 50. Don’t be a dumb fuck.”
This is kind of funny. I now smoke a little weed to help me sleep on bad nights, and once in a while for fun. I guess this makes me a dumb fuck.
[/quote]
Don’t worry hankr, you are not alone. It does help the stress levels.
I am going to be 51. I use a Smith machine all the time for many movements, but not exclusively. It works for me. Should someone criticize me for doing so, who freakin’ cares. I am in the gym, working out, feeling good and enjoying it.
[quote]sir_tris wrote:
I am going to be 51. I use a Smith machine all the time for many movements, but not exclusively. It works for me. Should someone criticize me for doing so, who freakin’ cares. I am in the gym, working out, feeling good and enjoying it.
[/quote]
You’d feel a hell of a lot better if you get off the Smith machine. This is a dangerous device that puts the body into unnatural positions of alignment. If you want to get to your 51st birthday walking upright, then stop the Smith madness.
PS. I started lifting heavy three years ago, when I was 50, all freeweights…and I’m an old lady. If I can do it, so can anyone.
[quote]Yo Momma wrote:
sir_tris wrote:
I am going to be 51. I use a Smith machine all the time for many movements, but not exclusively. It works for me. Should someone criticize me for doing so, who freakin’ cares. I am in the gym, working out, feeling good and enjoying it.
You’d feel a hell of a lot better if you get off the Smith machine. This is a dangerous device that puts the body into unnatural positions of alignment. If you want to get to your 51st birthday walking upright, then stop the Smith madness.
PS. I started lifting heavy three years ago, when I was 50, all freeweights…and I’m an old lady. If I can do it, so can anyone.
[/quote]
Thanks for your advice.
My wife and I get into many unnatural positions too, and I sure am not going to stop that madness.
HankR
Congrats man. Sounds like your doing great. I think we have similar body types. I love lifting but I ignore cardio and try to kid myself that my lifting is giving me some cardio type benefits. But bottom line I need to hit the cardio and get below 200 and get my waist below 40. Again congrats on the success.
This is a wonderful engaging thread. My life plays out in a bit of each of your posts.
Don’t ignore cardio, not only at the peril of losing fat, but for health reasons. Until a few years ago, while I was hardcore training bodybuilders and competing in powerlifting and strongman, I did virtually no cardio once for several years. Kept fat low via diet and working out smart.
And I like, and employ, the occasional week of higher reps. It works, can’t necessarily tell you why, but I’m basically injury free after a lifetime of heavy lifting, once I got my rotator cuff problems addressed a half dozen years ago (thank you Active Release Therapy).
Gotta run, I’m at work and suddenly busy.
[quote]deputydawg wrote:
HankR
Congrats man. Sounds like your doing great. I think we have similar body types. I love lifting but I ignore cardio and try to kid myself that my lifting is giving me some cardio type benefits. But bottom line I need to hit the cardio and get below 200 and get my waist below 40. Again congrats on the success.[/quote]
Thanks - The fat didn’t really start to come off until I hit the Stairmaster every time after the weights. I now make sure i am drenched withsweat before I leave the gym every time. It really does make a difference.
[quote]HoratioSandoval wrote:
I know I deserve a big “Boo-hoo-wah-wah” because I’m just shy of 30, but I’ve found that spending more time at yoga has really paid off. It might just be that I pounded a lot of ground as a grunt, or spend a lot of time on my ass studying, but the extra flexibility workouts seem to go a long way.
Plus, I have a theory that watching 21-year-olds writhe on the floor will allow me to live forever. I will let you know how that goes.[/quote]
Love the Yoga. Ladies in my class range from 14 to 65, and almost all of them can kick my ass at it. Class this week included 12 Sun Salutations followed by Tibetan 5s - it was awesome. Classes are 75 minutes of non-stop stretching and position work, ending with a very relaxing rest/meditation in corpse pose. I’m hooked.
[quote]ZEB wrote:
Great post, but live to be 110? Um…where did you get that one?[/quote]
I don?t think any other generation has ever been as educated health wise as the boomers. It will be interesting to see .Oh 49 here and planning on living a long time
Great original post. Life really gets easier when you know who you are.
Just a few buckets of cold water, now. Life is a battle we all will lose. I don’t say that to make everybody despondent, but as a reality check. This is it, one trajectory from birth to death (what happens later? You decide.)
Our bodies grew bigger and grew in strength and we will all lose most of that strength again before we die, unless the Harley gets you first. To dream of life beyond 100, smacks of a state of denial.
What we can, should, MUST do is to extend out active life as much as we can, fight the decline in our bodies by exercise, and mental activity. Who cares if we lose as long as we put up a good fight!
TQB
excellent post! I’ll be 57 this may. Recently started working out with weights again. been off and on since the 70’s. I also teach karate and kickboxing. Gained some extra weight rcently (6’ 199lbs). I’ll take it off fast with junk food control and upping cardio. Here’s what I’ve found weight lifting over 50. I make strength gains as fast or faster than when younger. But… injuries come easier if I don’t take warm ups seriously. I usually do one warmup set of each exercise. I have been doing HIT routines recently and love it. Heavy, heavy weights…
very quick strength and mass gains. See big differences in 3 weeks. Always the same after lay off, 3 weeks before big change. Take protein (cyto gain), Cellmass for Creatine and found the right dosage of NO Explode. Too much causes headaches. All 50 yr olds… get off your butts and hit it hard! I keep up with the young ones easily. WARM UP AND PROPER ROUTINE IS KEY GUYS! Of course you need proper diet. Everyone should check out HIT programs.
Old concepts… works like a champ! I only workout twice a week and usually get out o the gym in under an hour. I hit it hard, keep moving with very little rest. Pay off has been huge. I layed off for years and after only a few weeks and am back up to 295lb bench, 110lb pull overs, 280lb shrugs (total for both arms), 375lb squats, 110lb easycurl bar curls etc. Love the HIT method. I’m a oonvert from the 5 set/split routines, 4 - 5 day workout systems. Like HIT much better, getting great gains and get out of the gym faster. Oh… and I’m also a prostate cancer survivor (surgery three years ago, this March).
Good luck old timers… old age is a state of mind.
[quote]TQB wrote:
Great original post. Life really gets easier when you know who you are.
Just a few buckets of cold water, now. Life is a battle we all will lose. I don’t say that to make everybody despondent, but as a reality check. This is it, one trajectory from birth to death (what happens later? You decide.)
Our bodies grew bigger and grew in strength and we will all lose most of that strength again before we die, unless the Harley gets you first. To dream of life beyond 100, smacks of a state of denial.
What we can, should, MUST do is to extend out active life as much as we can, fight the decline in our bodies by exercise, and mental activity. Who cares if we lose as long as we put up a good fight!
TQB[/quote]
You know to debate you would be futile, but with a little critical analysis. I might make the assumption that you are a little over confident in your declaration.