SHOULD MEN OVER 50 DO WEIGHT TRAINING ?
The answer is emphatically YES.
Many have the wrong impression that, if with age you lift weights then there are chances of getting hurt. This actually occurs rarely only when you do some stupid things. Most people who get hurt during weight training are actually younger guys, not the older ones, because an older person is smart enough and not in the race to impress others. Older people do not lift heavy weights in olympic style for a show off, with rapid movements or explosive movements.
What lifting weights does to is actually prevents injury. When we get older and are not lifting weights, then your body naturally gets stiff , tight and less flexible. Lifting weights makes your joints more stronger and flexible.
When you lift weights correctly, you do a wide range of motion, while doing bench-press, shoulder-press, back exercises or squats , you are not only working on your muscles, but also on your tendons, ligaments and the joints. So, what it does is not only strengthen but also increases your flexibility.
You do not want to be 70 or 80 years old and with a fall over of quarter inch tall crack and break your hip bone, as your bones are weak, as a result a small trip can do a serious long term damage.
So, why does lifting weights makes your bones stronger ?
There is a direct correlation between putting stress on your muscles and that put stress on your bones, and your body responds by making your bones denser and stronger, literally you are far less likely to break a bone if you are routinely doing resistance training.
As you age, just change your lifestyle and incorporate resistance training in your daily routine. Remember, there are two things - FREE HAND EXERCISE & RESISTANCE TRAINING. I am talking about resistance training or weight lifting, that does not have to be only using dumbbells or barbells , it could be with resistance bands , or your own body weight like doing push-ups or squats is also a resistance training. Weight lifting is way better for you as you get older, than doing just cardio itself. Doing a weight training correctly will actually also give you a good cardio workout.
BENEFITS OF WEIGHT TRAINING :
1. Resistance training boosts testosterone. You would just love the benefits that you get with increased level of testosterone. Lifting weights and straining your body sends signals to your pituitary glands and other organs of your body and tells your body to ramp-up it's natural production of testosterone. The harder you push your body, the more you tear down your muscle fibres, the more lactic acid you build up, as a result more production of testosterone. As a result your muscles looks great and you look good when you look yourself on the mirror.
2. With weight training you get muscles in shape and lose fat. This gives you a different level of confidence.
With a well shaped body, you will always look great at your age when you walk in a restaurant, or a swimming pool, or among your friends of your age.
3. Weight training also gets you lots of energy and will be more productive. One more small side benefit of doing weight training as you get older is - your sex life improves.
4. Your metabolism goes up when you are into resistance training. Muscles requires more calories to function and stay alive every day. So, more muscle you add to your body, the higher will be your metabolic rate. That is, with added muscles on your body you will burn more calories by just sitting on a chair, than those who do not have muscles, which means you will be burning more fats by adding muscles, body fat automatically drops. Then you do not have to worry or be that strict on your diet. You can have more cheat days.
5. Weight training also improves your body balance & mind-muscle coordination. This is very vital as you age. Most important is, you can take care of yourself with improved mental and physical ability as you age.
The single most commonly asked questions by those who want to or are into resistance training , that is - "How much weight should I lift ?"
This is a really hard question. I could only give you some parameters and ideas how you can figure it out. Actually, there is no perfect answer, it depends on what type of exercise you are doing , what kind of condition you are in, there are lots of variables. You can only answer this by yourself.
First is, what does your workout called for, that is - how many sets & how many reps. The number of reps per set will determine how much weight you are going to lift. But lots of guys in the gym do it wrong, because when you are in the gym , you are with lot of people and you want to look impressive, you want to lift ton of weight and make every one think you are a "Badass" and really strong, this is not the good way to build muscles and really a good way to get hurt. This is the biggest mistake I have seen people doing.
Workout program tells you to do normally 10 reps per set . That does not mean you take too heavy dumbbells and try 10 reps with your whole body swinging with a terrible form. Chances of getting hurt and pulling muscles are going to happen.
The correct method is to pick a weight that will make it difficult to complete the 10 reps. When you are in the 10th rep you should be really fatigue, maximum you may be able to do with great difficulty one or two more reps, but not more. So, you should pick a weight with which you can do 12 reps maximum, but stop at 10th rep.
While programming your workout routine , in PHASE-1 pick up a weight that is only moderately difficult to do for the prescribed number of reps. In PHASE-2 pick up a weight that is really difficult to do the prescribed number of reps. Once you reach PHASE-3, then pick a weight that really kicks you hard and you could barely make it to the number of reps in each set that you want to hit, and you get nearly exhausted . So, that is how you need to pick your weights.
Hopefully, you have learnt from this blog with how much weight you should do weight training as you age. If you have any doubts or questions, please write on the comment section below, I will surely try to reply to your satisfaction.
IMPORTANT :
💪 It is always advisable to consult your doctor before starting any new exercise routine.
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