Working out After 50

Updated on July 2, 2015

By Mike Chang

Training after the age of 50 is going to be more difficult, but is worth the effort you would put into it.  Most people over 50 think that working out will not accomplish much and possibly cause injuries, so they tend to write off the one thing that could help them feel better.  It is true that natural hormone levels slowly drop over time.  This can cause issues when it comes to working out, but that does not mean that it is bad; you just need to learn how to do it properly so as not to get injured. 

Most young guys who work out are using a split workout routine, where they work out a different body part every day with very little rest or days, if any, between workouts.  This is where most older guys run into problems.  They think they can work out the way they used to.  The truth is that the natural anabolic hormones are not produced in the quantities that they used to be.  Thus, older people will need more time to recover.  The best option is for them to perform muscle group workouts a few days a week to allow for the recovery of the muscles before the next training session. 

The next thing they need to be concerned with is the amount of weight they are using.  Weight should always be relative to your strength.  To build muscle and burn fat, the right amount of weight is very important.  You need to use a weight that is difficult, but manageable.  Too much weight can cause an injury, but if you are not using enough weight, you might as well not do anything.  

People over 50 might want to use either a personal trainer or training partner.  Negative reps are being used more and more now.  The idea is that you want to stress the muscle but not too much.  For example, if you are doing bench press negative reps, your training partner will help you get the weight up to the top of the movement and let you resist the weight as it goes down.  This helps to prevent ligament and tendon injuries as well as muscle injuries.

The last thing that people over 50 should consider is stretching and yoga exercises.  This is going to do two things.  First, flexibility is improved. Second, it stimulates synovial fluid in the joints, which help to transfer nutrients to help keep the joints healthy. 

The simple idea is to work out three days a week with moderate weight, negative rep training, and in between, make sure to stretch and maintain mobility to help heal your body, so that you can enjoy your life.

Mike Chang is a certified trainer who has one of the top fitness YouTube channels, with more than three million subscribers. He is the founder of Mike Chang Fitness, with Insane Home Fat Loss and Six Pack Shortcuts.

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