3-Day Plan for Weight Training Over 50 A Strength Training Strategy that will Help You See Results

Fast Sep 30, 2009 Jim O'Neill Weight lifting can slow down and - in some cases - even reverse some of what has been accepted as the normal aging process, helping you look and feel younger.

Advice about weight training for people over 50 comes with more caveats than you r mobile phone contract. While it s well-intentioned, it can almost chase you back to your easy chair. And that s a shame, because while walking, jogging and bike riding are good for yo ur cardiovascular system, weight lifting can change the way you age, slowing dow n or reversing declines in bone density and lean muscle mass, helping you stay s trong, enhancing your balance and making you less prone to injury That said, ahem: Check with your physician before attempting to undertake any un accustomed physical activity. There, that s out of the way. Once the doc greenlights you, make your own assessment of where your strength le vels are and what you can expect to be able to do. How to Get Started Whether you re a first-time weight lifter, or an experienced lifter just returning to the fold, there are some things you ll need to keep in mind:

Warm up really well. Now, more that ever, you need to be smarter in the weight r oom. Take a good ride on a stationary bike, or spend 10 minutes on the treadmill , gradually bringing up a good sweat. Listen to your body. That little tweak means more down time than it did 25 years ago. Listen to it. If you feel anything more than minor discomfort while you re l ifting, lower your load and try it again. If it s still tweaky, ignore the set, NO T the pain. Plan on more rest between lifting days, or at least between exercises that work the same muscle groups. You may have been fine with one day off 20 years ago, it may take two or more now. After you re done lifting, warm down. Go for an easy jog or a walk. Don t ignore your core. Every time you re in the weight room, make sure you address your core strength. A good target is 150-200 reps for your core, overall. You co mbine crunches, reverse hypers, and any other lifts. Try Turkish Get Ups and cou nt them as five reps each. Stretch. Stretch. Stretch. A good stretch after you ve lifted will reduce the amou nt of soreness you feel the next day and especially the second day after you lif t. It will help dramatically increase your range of motion, the amount of streng th you gain, and your balance. Take your time, enjoy it and really get a good st retch. How to Build Your Strength Training Workout Plan The American College of Sports Medicine suggests that people aged 50 and over tr y to lift 2-3 times a week, performing exercises that hit all the major muscle g roups; that s about 6-8 exercises. Ideally, start with a goal of 10-15 reps per se t and adjust your weights accordingly. If you want to build muscle, you have to use weights that are heavy enough to ac tually recruit muscle fibers. That means those cute little 2.5-pound dumbbells y ou start doing curls with eventually will have to give way to 5s, then 10s and m

ore. One of the biggest frustrations nascent lifters have is that all of their percei ved effort is going for naught. If you spend a lot of time in the gym lifting an d haven t begun to seen evidence of change in your physique, you re probably not usi ng enough weight. Ramp it up. If you re just starting, you re almost certainly going to feel muscle soreness at so me point. Good for you, you re pushing ahead at a pace that s causing your muscles t o grow. BUT, if you feel joint or nerve pain while you lift, back off; drop your weight down and then move ahead. A Menu of Exercises for Strength Training This is a very basic strength training workout that you can build from. You can see videos of most of these exercises here. Day 1: (2 sets, 10-15 reps) Dumbbell Bench Press Squats to a bench Good Mornings Dumbbell Lateral raise Dumbbell curl Dumbbell Step-up Triceps Pushdown Wide-grip Lat Pulldown Day 2: (2 sets, 10-15 reps) Dumbbell Incline Bench Dumbbell Lunges Bent-over rows Seated Dumbbell Press Straight Bar Curl Triceps Extensions Close-grip Lat Pulldown Day 3: (2 sets, 10-15 reps) Dumbbell Bench Press Front Squat Facedown Reverse Fly Barbell Upright Row Close-grip Bench Press Hammer Curl Chin Ups (Assisted) As you get stronger, look to include more ground-based complex movements, like P ower Cleans, and more challenging exercises. You ll also want to adjust weight and reps on a regular basis to spur muscles growth, a concept called periodization.

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