With the amount of weight training experience and wisdom that you have now as an over 35 lifter what advise would you give someone in their late 20s or early 30s so as to ensure that when they hit that magic 35 as a lifter, the body is very much still in an optimal training condition.
What advise would you tell yourself if you were able to travel back in time and mentor the young 20/30 you once were.
Really appreciate any comments. You can be specific or throw in some general advise if you like.
My apologies if this topic has been raised before.
I would do tons of posterior chain work. Deadlifts, squats, hams…the works. I also would spend more time on pull ups, because that is a big weakness of mine, and now at 260 lbs, it’s definitely not getting easier.
[quote]roofus_5 wrote:
I would do tons of posterior chain work. Deadlifts, squats, hams…the works. I also would spend more time on pull ups, because that is a big weakness of mine, and now at 260 lbs, it’s definitely not getting easier.[/quote]
Agreed - Also learn how your body responds and recovers as much as possible. Keep an eye on your nutrition also. It makes the changes later much easier. I’m 35, and there’s definitely major changes in the way my body responds, recovers, etc. That said, I’m still competiting at the same level I was in my mid - late 20’s, if not a little higher (not that I was ever a pro or anything, but my #'s are still going up, at least). Stay as consistent as humanly possible also.
[quote]robbiminator wrote:
Warm up before, use good form during and stretch after training. Use free weights rather than machines. Take an oil supplement. [/quote]
[quote]robbiminator wrote:
Warm up before, use good form during and stretch after training. Use free weights rather than machines. Take an oil supplement. [/quote]
I’m 35, and I would definitely say that the vast majority of my progress has come from focusing on the basic, compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, and bench. Assistance exercises are cool, but I think that sometimes we underestimate the value of what squatting, deadlifting, and benching can do for our bodies on a consistent basis.
Really appreciate you guys taking the time to reply with some good advise.
Lifting with good form and keeping consistent with compound movements seem to be what I focus on these days.
I’m 31 now and lifting is going to be a lifetime activity which is pretty much why learning from other’s experience in terms of training, nutrition, supplements etc. is valuable to me.
Just don’t stop, even when you are bored or not motivated fight your way through that shit and get to the gym and do something. Someone said something to the effect that showing up is half the battle. Just don’t stop showing up, and when you are feeling full of piss and vinegar hit the shit hard.
Don’t lose focus on your training as a life long activity. This is important so that you don’t push too hard for short term goals and jeopardize your health (in order to minimize setbacks).
Never underestimate sleep and nutrition.
Build your programs around compound lifts. Supplemental exercises can be useful, but the compound lifts are the key. This is something that I only recently discovered (in the last 9 months or so).