Anybody here lift?

I lift light weights , do push ups , sit ups and ride a bike for exercise.
The only really heavy lifting I do is when I go take a leak! Hoo ra!
 
MikeH said:
I started lifting at age 52. I am now 67. Let me tell you right off, that well meaning advice from young people is all about what works for them. You and I are not them.

We do not recover from workouts nearly as fast as they do.

We are more susceptible to repetitive motion injuries.

We likely have accumulated a condition or two over the years that we must accommodate. (Mine is a bad back and rotator cuff trouble, both pre-existing the weight training.)

I know from first-hand experience that over-50 men can make impressive strength and muscle gains lifting one day a week, one set only of each exercise, 6 to 12 reps to failure with each exercise, limiting total workout time to no more than an hour, with 45 minutes being better. Furthermore, I used a three-routine split, back/shoulders, chest/abs, and legs. It is absolutely possible to increase strength and muscle mass doing any given exercise one time once every three weeks, because I have done it

I started out exercising every four days, but as advancing age made recovery time longer, I eventually went to the once per week route.
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ABSOLUTELY! I'm 30 and 6'0 223lbs. I use the HIT or High Intensity Training method. I know a lot of people will preach about high volume and high reps, but it really comes down to science. You stimulate the muscle in the gym, but growth can not occur until recovery of said muscle is complete. The way I see it, most sports related injuries and similar issues are due to OVERTRAINING. You cannot go to the gym 4-5 times a week and do 12-15 sets per body part. Someone just starting out will make muscular gains on a routine like this, but will eventually plateau and their body will adapt. The factors of HIT are: low training volume, brief and intense workouts, low frequency, and slow controlled muscular contractions that allow full range of movement. If you do not increase your weight and or reps on a given type of exercise each time you go to the gym, you are overtrained.

I currently lift on Mondays and Thursdays. It is broken down into 3 workouts:
Monday - Flat dumbbell flys 1 set of 8-10 reps
Immediately followed by
-Flat or incline dumbbell press 1 of set 6-10 reps
Immediately followed by
- Dips 2 sets to failure.
Rest 2-3minutes
- Tricep pushdowns 1 set of 8-10 reps
Immediately followed by
- Barbell bicep curls 1 set of 8-10 reps
Immediately followed by
- Standing dumbbell curls 1 set of 6-8
WORKOUT COMPLETE


Thursday - Deadlifts 2 sets of 4-8 reps
Immediately followed by
- Low rows 1 set of 8-10
Immediately followed by
- Barbell rows 1 set of 6-8
Rest 2-3 minutes
- Dumbbell shrugs 1 set of 10-12
Immediately followed
- Seated dumbbell shoulder press 2 sets of 6-10
Immediately followed by
- Standing side raises 1 set of 6-10
WORKOUT COMPLETE


Monday - Leg extensions 1 set of 10-12 reps
Immediately followed by
- Back Squats 1 set of 6-8 reps
Immediately followed by
- Front squats 1 set of 6-8 reps
Immediately followed by
- Leg press 1 set of 10-12
Rest 2-3 minutes
- Standing calf raises 2 sets of 6-10 reps
Immediately followed by
- Seated calf raises 1 set of 8-10 reps.
WORKOUT COMPLETE

I never spend more than 30min at the gym. It's an hour per week.
Deadlifts- 405lbs
Squat-365lbs
Dips- 4 reps with 100lb plate around the waist

No supplements or drugs.

Anyone can do this and succeed. Hope this helps.
Mike
 
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I'm obviously in the same boat with MikeH. I'm 67, and have been involved in a wide variety of training my whole life.
Mostly cycling for the last 20 years or so....
Limitations include a seriously wonky knee (it'll need replacement at some point, right now cortisone suffices) and I had a little angina about 6 years ago which resulted in stents. Symptom-free since then.
I wanted to maintain some upper body strength and I'm working alone and without much room... So I bought a used Bowflex, one of the Schwinn-branded basic models. Only 150 bucks...

Good investment. The thing is safe to use... No worries about dropping barbells.... You can dial in the resistance quite nicely, and you can do just about any exercise save of course for heavy squats and dead-lifts.
Since those are pretty much off the menu for me anyway... It's a useful tool.
I've already had to buy another set of the heavy resistance things.

I fool around on Yahoo Answers a lot, and about a year ago I started answering questions on exercise physiology in the "diet and exercise" section. The sheer amount of misinformation and nonsense is appalling.
People are still asking if lifting weights will "stunt your growth", for instance.
Incredible.
I started up a "Fitness Basics" blog just so I won't have to constantly type out all this information.
 
Well done Mwerner for getting in the exercise. :thumbup:

And don't anyone tell you you are too old to do something. I spotted a fellow at the gym who was well into his 70's and he was benching 110 kg. With zero assistance from me. Another elderly fellow at my gym squats 200 kg. More of a dangerous half squat than a full squat but still mighty impressive in my book.

Youtube is full of inspiring stories about aging athletes as well. Like this guy.
[video=youtube;kaoY6gumdYg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaoY6gumdYg[/video]
 
Chris Pierce said:
I thik that the problem comes when people don't know what the term failure means. You train until you can no longer do the exercise correctly. If you keep doing the exercise (incorrectly) of course your going to get hurt.

Another problem folks have is that they want to use too much weight. Do 8 reps 3 sets (correctly). If you can't your using too much weight.
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This is true. If you train to failure you end up using all of your Glycogen and by default nuke your central nervous system. Now, in my own experience what I've found in lot of videos and read a lot of magazines, articles, is Broscience. Some of the things that are Broscience is that training to failure, eating specific foods, drinking specific supplements, hours and hours in the gym daily, and doing specific exercises will produce the same results for anyone.
Much of the reality is that the "scientific studies and articles" leave out there even the hardcore lifters (which I am not) are genetics, body type, & hormone levels. Supplement companies also fund a lot of these studies and pay to have representatives in the fitness industry say "this stuff works".
If you have low testosterone (which tends to drop after age 35) you will have a harder time increasing strength and muscle. Ample recovery time is important, that is where muscle growth (gains) happen. Burning oneself out with an exercise isn't going to build more gains, but make recovery the longer and injury more of a reality. One other thing I have to put out there, don't be a curl monkey. If you want bigger arms the Triceps are 2/3rds of the upper arms muscle group, the bicep is the other third. ;)
 
akula83 said:
Looking for any thoughts from people who are experienced lifters. After running on the treadmills at my local LA fitness this winter, I have taken a liking to using the lifting equipment (machines) and maybe you can affirm or correct me if I am doing it right.
First off, I'm 50. My ultimate goal is to go free weights once I am confident on correct form. I do the standard (for me) work on the upper/lower arms, back and shoulders, legs and thighs. I pretty much use 90% of the equipment they have, doing at least 2 reps of 10 counts of each. I also include the rowing machines. I do push the weights up to my absolute limit before I think injury could happen, I know you have change up routines and really push it to get results. Am I off to a good start? What do you think? Thanks.
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What about the order of exercises?

I was taught to work from big muscle groups to small. So thighs, chest, back are among the first; biceps, forearms are the last.

Not sure about the 2 sets of 10. Usually if I want fitness and endurance I go for 3 sets of 12. If I want muscle mass I go for 3 sets of 8, or 3 sets of 5 if I'm really pushing it.
 
99cuts said:
What about the order of exercises?

I was taught to work from big muscle groups to small. So thighs, chest, back are among the first; biceps, forearms are the last.

Not sure about the 2 sets of 10. Usually if I want fitness and endurance I go for 3 sets of 12. If I want muscle mass I go for 3 sets of 8, or 3 sets of 5 if I'm really pushing it.
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You are correct. On a given workout, larger muscles should be trained first and then smaller ones second.
 
Perhaps find a "good" CrossFit box.

If it is a "good" box the classes will be small and the coaches properly trained.

With the seemingly ever growing popularity of CrossFit boxes are popping up in every strip mall. I guess what i'm saying is there are plenty of crappy ones.

Crossfit will get you instruction and coaching on the major lifts everyone mentioned above, Squat, Deadlift, Press, etc. And the oly lifts Clean/jerk, and snatch.

Plus tons of other cool stuff that continually varies.

Don't worry about your age or current capabilities, I've seen every age and type of person doing crossfit. The workouts are scalable as well as variable meaning if you have shoulder issues you can do an alternate exercise for that portion of the work out.

I'm not one of those crossfit cult people but i do enjoy it. Most places have a free trial or community class on weekends.
 
I have been actively/consistently lifting weights since I was 15, I'm 31 now so I think I can offer you some sound advice. The two important pieces of info I got from you in your first post is that A) You're 50 yrs old and B) You do "Tough Mudder" so I take it you're training for that purpose.

At your age and assuming you're new to weight lifting, I would not recommend you the usual bench press, squat, overhead press, bent over rows, deadlift, pullups, dips routine. Half of those exercises can easily cause injury if not done correctly. I think you are on the right track by building up your foundation through using machines. However you might want to structure it a little better. And FYI there are certain exercises where you can safely do them with free weights.

Without knowing your fitness level, current physique, current aches/pains, mobility, and most importantly your schedule it's difficult to tailor a good routine for you. But assuming you have at least 3 days you're willing to dedicate to weight lifting.... here is what I would recommend.

Day 1 (Push/Press)

(Chest/Push)
Push-ups - 50 reps (Doesn't matter how many sets, just do a total of 50 push-ups)
Chest press machine - 4 sets of 8-12 reps
Machine flies - 4 sets of 8-12 reps

(Back/Pull)
Cable rows - 4 sets of 8-12 reps
Lat pull downs - 4 sets of 8-12 reps
Rear flies - 4 sets of 8-12 reps

Day 2 (Legs)

Leg Press - 5 sets of 8-12 reps
Leg curls - 5 sets of 8-12 reps
Hamstring curls - 5 sets of 8-12 reps
Calve raises - 5 sets of 8-12 reps

Day 3 (Shoulder/Bi/Tri)

Overhead machine press - 5 sets of 8-12 reps
Front delt raises (with cable or with barbell) - 5 sets of 8-12 reps
Lateral raises (with cable or dumbbell) - 5 sets of 8-12 reps

Machine or barbell bicep curls - 5 sets of 8-12 reps
Triceps cable pull downs with rope - 5 sets of 8-12 reps

Follow this routine for a good 2-3 months CONSISTENTLY and you will start seeing some decent newbie gains. Once you build up a good foundation you can start doing the 5x5 starting strength workouts with the big compound lifts. Keep in mind that if you can do more than 12 reps, increase the weight because it is too light to reap any benefits.

Also if you are doing cardio in conjunction with your weight lifting, I would advise you do your cardio (running) after you weight lift. I don't know how long or what you do exactly for cardio, but if it's long and intense you might want to do it separate from your weight lifting days. The key is to keep this consistent. I always tell people that you'll get much better results working out 3 days a week every week for 1 year consistently rather than hitting the gym everyday for 2 months while you remain sedentary for the other 10.

Last thing... beware of "crossfit". When crossfit first started it was meant to be the next level of intense training for people who already have a very good foundation of strength and lifting technique. Nowadays it has turned into a "fad" where people can get certified to be a trainer by attending a weekend seminar. The things I have seen people do is atrocious. People who are new to exercising/weight lifting have absolutely no business performing olympic lifts at high repetitions. Crossfitters get hurt all the time and see it as a badge of honor because they're "tough and hardcore".
 
There have been a number of articles critical of Crossfit lately. The first I saw published on the Livestrong site (a pretty good source of info, BTW) about a year ago.
As noted, there's nothing particularly wrong with the system or the exercise regimen... If the student is in good shape already and the trainers allow the students to progress at their natural rate.
The problem arises with untrained, incompetent trainers who push people past their limits, allowing the class dynamic to take over so that folks overextend themselves.
Folks have been hospitalized with renal failure since the products of muscle breakdown exceed the capacity of the body to expel them. The urine becomes dark, almost rusty.... .(Often misdiagnosed as blood).

About the aging thing.... When I had turned 50, I signed up for the bicycling events at the local senior olympics. I was working hard back then, putting in 100+ miles per week.
Came in second in my age class... But, the winner overall was 66 years old; putting in a blistering time trial that was considerably quicker than mine....
As one of my colleagues said, "them retired guys got more time to train!"
 
I tried Crossfit for exactly one month. All the people I was working out with were using the worst form I have ever seen in my life. Swinging pull-ups that use momentum, the clean & jerk, kettle bell workouts, injuries all waiting to happen. It might work but you really can't have any preexisting injuries or you will finish destroying your body for good. The Logical one draws an accurate picture.
 
When I was hitting the gym heavy these supplements helped a lot. The C4 preworkout
Bcaa during workout, protein after workout, casein before bed. Bcaa definitely kept me hydrated, with a good protein right after. I found if I'm going to invest a lot of time and energy I needed to invest in some good supplement to make it all worth while. I would cycle on and off with the c4 , 8 weeks on 8 off.
 

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Im in high school and for baseball, we lift 5 days a week, alternating lower body days with upper body days. We are on a 6 week program, each week we decrease reps on our core lifts and increase weight. First week is 15 12 10 for our 3 sets on our core lifts, and the last week is 5 3 1 for our three sets for our core lifts. The following week after that we max. Then we start all over and go back to the high rep sets. This switches the workout up enough to where you dont get comfortable lifting, and you see a 10 to 15 lb gain in the three main lifts (bench, squat, clean) after each cycle. Its similar to the BFS (bigger faster stronger) program that you can get to walk you through workouts. I came into my junior year at 160 lbs, and currently im 180 lbs. I gained 20 lbs of muscle in 8 months. Our auxiliary lifts also decrease in reps as our main lifts decrease. And it isnt that bad working out every day because one day is lower body and the other is upper. But what I do may be different because im doing it for a sport. The workouts can be modified for toning and maintaining rather than bulking up.
 
RevDevil said:
20lbs of lean muscle in 8 months? Hmm...that is what I would call great genetics.
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Also might have to do with his age. I wrestled at 125lbs my freshman year of high school and by junior year I was wrestling in the 171lb weight class.
Another reason for a muscular weight gain like that could be because he has never had that type of resistance training and his body hasn't adapted yet.

As for workouts that can determine maintaining or toning your body, this is simply not possible. Muscle and fat are two different things. The only thing that determines how toned you look is body fat and diet.
A six day a week routine is beyond excessive, even if someone is trying to maintain or just exercise for health. An athlete cannot fully exert his or her body to its fullest if there is no rest period between workouts. Schools and sports trainers are doing highschool age kids a great disservice. As a result they are overtraining and more prone to injury.

To your point on crossfit and sloppy form, I recently watched a crossfit games on espn and it was laughable watching these guys do "dips" and "pull-ups". When they were doing pull-ups it looked like a salmon swimming up a stream.
 
Keep in mind that the kipping/butterfly pullups aren't trying to be strict pullups. You would not say someone is doing a back squat wrong when they are in fact doing a front squat. They are separate exercises and should be treated as such. The reason they kip is so they can do more work in a shorter amount of time. That gets the cardio juices going and that is in line with the crossfit/HIIT training philosophy. Besides you are activating different muscles when you kip. Do not confuse that with not being able to do strict pullups.
 
Back squats and front squats are two separate exercises that target a specific muscle group. Neither of these two exercises can be done safely with sloppy form.

Butterfly pull-ups are a sloppy, momentum driven movement. To me they are the equivalent of someone bench pressing and bouncing the bar off of their chest. The target muscle doesn't get stimulated due to momentum.
 
Sloppy or not it is a separate exercise. If you don't want to do them don't.

I do strict pullups for strength. I kip when I want intensity in my metabolic conditioning workouts. YMMV

Here is some discussion on the subject from folks more involved than I. Link
 
M.FREEZE said:
Back squats and front squats are two separate exercises that target a specific muscle group. Neither of these two exercises can be done safely with sloppy form.

Butterfly pull-ups are a sloppy, momentum driven movement. To me they are the equivalent of someone bench pressing and bouncing the bar off of their chest. The target muscle doesn't get stimulated due to momentum.
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I have to disagree. Kips are different. I honestly don't mean to offend, but go educate yourself. There are a few really good crossfit trainers who know what they're doing, and can teach it to others as well. I can try to find a video to show the difference.
 
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