How to train if you are a man over 50
I have been in the gym for a long time now. Like anything in life, when you do something for a long time, occasionally it gets boring or just not fun. But, in general, I still love the feeling of competing against myself in the gym. I do not subscribe to the “get old, get weaker” anecdotes. I think of Personal Bests as “decade PB’s” now, which helps you feel better that’s for sure. But I still reference myself against the person I was when 25, 30, 35, 40 to drive myself to be smarter in training and still as strong as possible.
I want to help you take that mentality. To be as strong as possible. To not “accept” that you are getting older or weaker or otherwise. But there is a catch. To believe that you can be better than you are, you have to get off your ass and turn up and be consistent. Just like when we were kids, if you did not train, well, you did not get much better. That train never stops. If you don’t put the work in, you don’t get the reward.
So, why do people like me actually bang on about getting in the gym if you are a man over 50 years of age? Here is some of the beautiful science about why the gym can be your life gift to yourself:
Prevent the loss of muscle mass (Sarcopenia)
This is age related muscle mass loss and strength. This can begin as early as 30years of age. This DOES accelerate after 50 years of age ESPECIALLY if you do nothing. Resistance Training, which is the act of loading your body with more resistance than is “normal” for you to work with, is one of the BEST interventions to help counteract Sarcopenia.
Plenty of scientific articles have shown that regular resistance training can increase muscle mass, strength and capacity in older adults.
Metabolic Health
Increasing muscle mass increases insulin sensitivity, glucose metabolism, reducing the risk of developing Type II Diabetes, which is a very good thing.
Also, resistance training is linked to improved lipid profiles, including reductions in LDL cholesterol and increases in HDL cholesterol. This is important for Cardiovascular (Heart) Health. Another very good thing.
Being able to do normal physical things well
Resistance Training helps balance, being able to pick up things, or grandkids, the ability to do things like mow the lawn, go fishing, motorbike ride, go on a holiday and not look and feel useless when you have to utter the words, “I am too old for this.”
Mental Health
Perhaps one of the MOST understated benefits. Reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety. Less irritability, less mood swings, less feeling tired all the time. Better cognitive function so you can be ahead of things rather than behind.
How much muscle mass do you actually lose?
1-2% of muscle mass per year after the age of 50. This does not sound like much but 1kg of total lean mass lost is a significant amount especially on what this does to your resting metabolic rate, which is how fast you burn calories at rest.
So, sounds pretty good right? So, how hard do you need to train, how often, how long for and is it safe? Here are some guiding principles to help you get cracking.
Frequency: 2 times a week is enough. 3 times is better. More than that is bonus but the science says that 3 times a week will achieve optimal results.
Specific: Just focus on the big compound movements. If someone writes you a program with bicep curls in it, it better have had at least 4 compound movements in there before that, or it is a waste of time. When I program men over 50, usually you are busy. We all do not have 90 mins to spend looking at ourselves in a mirror. The programs I work from are generally 4 exercises in session with a couple of options if I have time.
Whole Body resistance training is generally better because it will make you work more muscle fibres in a total session rather than a split body approach, which might only work one part of your body at a time. We program from a functional viewpoint, so think about movements that attach themselves to functional capacity and overall muscle hypertrophy.
How long for: when you first start, 30mins of training with say a 10min warm up and 5min cooldown might be enough to get good results. Maybe over time if you can stretch that to 60-75mins then you can get plenty done and you can also rest more which is a good thing in resistance training.
The Social aspect: Training by yourself has distinct benefits. Training with someone or within a group environment can have excellent social and mental health benefits. The talk between mates in the gym is one of the things that I see that keeps blokes of 50 and over coming back to the gym. It’s that connection that we lose often after we stop playing sport or doing something that involves group dynamics.
Intensity: When we start, we might train at a 5-6 out of 10 to help you learn. But, we want to get to a 7-9 out of 10 in general in each set. Resistance training works really well when training at that intensity when you rest for between 60-180 second between sets. So, you work hard in set, but then you get enough rest so you can do it again.
Technique & Safety: I put this last so you remember. If you injure yourself because you are trying to push the intensity window too hard, then you may injure yourself and then you cannot get the benefit from training. So, technique matters. Learning a movement so you can do it well really matters. Walking out of the gym each day just like you came matters. Generally speaking, you recover somewhat slower than you might if you are 25 years of age.
Finally… Supervision is the best way to avoid injury and to learn what to do, how to do it and how to keep growing. We pay mechanics, we pay lawyers, we pay people to mow our yards these days. Invest in something that is going to help you enjoy the process more. The connection with your coach has to be positive, rewarding and progressive. Our job as a strength coach is to help someone get stronger. Our job especially as a strength coach of a bloke over 50 years of age is to help you enjoy that process, learn and for us to listen and understand you as a person first.
I am not here to motivate you. I am here to teach you, and to encourage you to find your path. I hope that path is in the gym, where you will stay and stay Stronger for Longer! Not older, just wiser.
If you are ready to make a commitment to yourself, our coaches would love to chat to you. I can be contacted on glenn@vectorhealth.com.au or 07 4927 8190. I personally coach people face-to-face or virtually. I hope this helps set the record straight on a few myths and opinions I hear all the time.
– Glenn Hansen: Co-owner and Head Coach