Weight Training For Men Over 50

Weight training for men over 50 used to just be for serious athletes but now we know it is for everyone and there are a lot of reasons why, there are also a lot of other factors that you need to take into account if you plan on starting. Most personal trainers will have trained people in their 50s before but unless they are at this stage of life themselves it will be very difficult for them to understand your motivation for starting and the issues you will face.

As a 53 year old man that only started weight training 2 years ago I found a real lack of guidance and advice based on what I was going through. Knowing what I know now I wish I had been given different advice when I started rather than having to learn it all myself.

In this post I will try to give you the information that I wish I was given and I will cover the following:

• Why you should be strength training in your 50s
• How to prepare for it
• What you need to be aware of
• Best way to get started

Why Should Men Over 50 Be Lifting Weights

Lifting weights isn’t just for bodybuilders, believe it or not it is even more important for people over 50 just to be able to maintain a healthy lifestyle. As men age past 50, the body undergoes significant changes that can impact overall health and functionality. One of the most detrimental changes is the gradual loss of muscle mass and strength, known as sarcopenia, we also suffer from a decrease in bone density which can lead to other conditions that will restrict our ability to lead a healthy life. This is why a lot of people start to look frail and weak as they get older, struggling to carry out the most basic of tasks like walking up stairs or carrying shopping bags. Most people think this is normal and just accept it but this is far from normal and the decline can be slowed down massively with the right training.

Strength is one of the best ways to counteract these age-related changes, it can improve your physical well-being and allow you to live an active lifestyle long into your old age. Building muscle through strength training will improve your physical strength but it will also improve your overall health in many other ways including improving cardiovascular conditions and preventing diseases like type 2 diabetes. If you aren’t strength training as you grow older, you’re not just missing out on these benefits, you’re potentially accelerating your decline. The effects of neglecting weight training can include increased frailty, higher risk of falls and fractures, and a reduced metabolism that can contribute to weight gain and associated health issues. So weight training is actually a fantastic way to stay healthy and you will feel younger for longer.

I Can’t Lift Weights?

When I speak to a lot of people my age they will tell me that they can’t lift weights and will usually give me a list of reasons why they can’t. Many of these reasons are actually a reason why you should lift weights and many are just excuses or even myths:

• I am too old – You are never too old to lift weights and you have never left it too late to start but you should take your age and condition into account and start appropriately
• My joints ache – This could be a genuine medical condition or it could be caused your lack of resistance work, The more sedentary your lifestyle is the more likely you will suffer with joint issues. It can also be caused by your diet which we will cover in a while, I wrote a separate post on Why your joints ache.
• I am too stiff – Muscle and joint stiffness is usually caused by inactivity, even if you don’t want to do strength training you should at least do some form of stretching to improve your mobility. Regular training will help to reduce stiffness and improve your mobility.
• I will hurt myself – You are more likely to get hurt by a lack of training as your body needs a minimum level of strength just to carry out day to day activities. As long as you start carefully weight training will actually reduce your chances of injury
• I don’t want to bulk up – It is actually quite difficult to put on a lot of muscle and needs a lot of commitment to achieve. There is very little chance of “accidentally” getting too big
• I am too embarrassed to go a gym – You don’t need to go to a gym as you can train at home and many gyms have special sessions for beginners

I Am Already Fit – Do I still Need to Lift Weights?

It seems to have become much more fashionable to stay fit now which is really positive and I see a lot of people in the 50’s walking, running and cycling, this is great but should not be seen as an alternative to strength training. “Cardio training” as these types of exercise are known as, are great for getting your heart rate up and have a lot of general health benefits, but they are not a substitute for strength training. Running will not help you to carry your heavy shopping bags or pick your grand kids up, you might have a really healthy heart but what good is that if you don’t have the strength in your legs to stand up from a low chair.

If you enjoy cycling or running then you should carry on with it but you should also add some strength training to build muscle, improve bone density and support your overall core body strength. Strength training also provides cardio workout and contributes to a healthy heart, there is a lot of research that links longevity of life with overall strength and particularly grip strength. So basically being stronger contributes to living longer regardless of whether you do any other cardio work.

By mixing in weight training with your cardio, you’re not choosing one benefit over another, you are combining both for a better overall result.

Getting Ready To Start Weight Training

Hopefully at this stage you understand the many benefits of lifting weights or strength / resistance training as it can also called and are keen to get started, but, before you do I would recommend doing a few things to prepare yourself and give you the best possible chance of creating a long term sustainable change in your lifestyle.

1. Be Safe – If you have any medical conditions please speak to your doctor / physician before starting any new training plan
2. Do it for the right reasons – having a short term reason such as wanting to look good for an upcoming holiday will not lead to long term change. The driving factor for my change was when I had my first grandchild. I suddenly realized that if I didn’t change then I could end up too weak to be able to play with my grandchildren, this helps me whenever I don’t feel like training and helps me to stay disciplined.
3. Eat the right food – In my opinion, one of the main issues for many people now is the quality of their diet. Many people are eating far too much processed low quality food, too much sugar and too many foods that cause inflammation. This can cause inflammation all over your body from aching joints, skin issues and stomach complaints to full on auto-immune conditions like eczema, asthma and thyroid complaints (If you suffer from any sort of auto-immune condition I would recommend going to see a Functional Medicine specialist). Regardless of your preferred diet (Carnivore, Vegan, standard etc) It is widely accepted that reducing inflammatory foods that are highly processed or contain lots of additional sugar should be avoided or at least reduced. Eating natural foods such as untreated meat, vegetables, fruit, eggs, fish etc gives your body a much better chance to extract the goodness from them and helps your body to recover better and stay healthy.
4. Get enough Protein – One of the main reasons that people can struggle to build or even maintain muscle is that they simply don’t eat enough protein. Protein is required to repair, maintain and build muscle, without adequate levels of protein your body will not be able to recover after training and this can not only lead to lack of gains but also to increased muscle soreness which puts people off training. As we get into our 50’s the amount of protein we need to consume daily actually increases and this ironically coincides with a period in our life when many people start eating less. There are lots of different opinions on the amount required but general opinion is as below:

Where to Start as a Beginner

The most important thing to remember is that this isn’t a race so it doesn’t matter how fast you start, you are trying to create a new healthier lifestyle so you have your whole life left to do this. Don’t rush it and try to do too much too soon.

Step 1: Prepare your body – Initially I would focus on mobility as this is not only really good for you but will benefit you long term and help to prepare your body for strength training. You could go full on and take up Yoga or Pilates or you could just do some daily stretching at home. This will prepare your body and get you into good habits of exercising daily.

Step 2: Create a commitment – Making a commitment to yourself or someone else is proven to help improve your chances to sustaining your new habit. Get a training partner or just tell someone what you are going to do, they will then ask how it is going and this alone can be enough for some people to stay going.

Step 3: Start building a habit – The main reason that most people fail to do something new over an extended period of time is that they don’t build it into a habit. There is a really good hack that you can do which seems crazy but is really good for building a new exercise habit. Start of by doing 5 minutes a day, everybody can do this and you don’t need lots of available time to do this. Start with 5 minutes each day then build this up to 7 or even 10 minutes per day, once you get comfortable with this increase it to 15 minutes and then 20. Once you get used to doing 20 minutes of exercise every day or even every second day you are half way towards building a new habit that will give you a great base to work from.

Step 4: Start at a relevant level – If you have never done any strength training then start at a very low level and build up. My recommendation would be to start with Calisthenics or body weight exercises as they are better known. This involves doing exercise without any additional weights other than your own body, this is much tougher than it sounds and is a fantastic way to build your strength and to get into weight training. My middle son kept pushing us to get him a gym membership so I told him that if he did 3 months of body weight exercises consistently we would pay for his gym membership. When he got to the end of the 3 months he said not to bother as he didn’t need the gym and was going to continue with calisthenics instead as he found it so good. Body weight exercises are things like push ups, pull ups, dips, squats, sit ups etc and are hugely beneficial for building muscle and strength, you can also do this without any equipment and without even leaving your home if needed.

Step 5: Get personal advice – If you are already quite fit and want to step up a level and really get into weight training then I would suggest having at least one session with a personal trainer as they will be able to advise a program that will help you to achieve your personal goals.

By this time you should be well and truly on your journey towards getting fitter, stronger and healthier and you will by now have noticed how much better you feel overall. At some point though you will hit a blip in your training, it might be the winter weather, a small injury or illness, maybe you get really busy or something else gets in the way. The important thing is not to worry as this is completely normal, just try to not let it become a new habit, so if you miss training for a few days. Go easy on yourself and understand that it is ok, then try to focus on your next session and getting back into it. The big aim is to try to be consistent and to build a new life long habit that will help you to feel better and enjoy a more fulfilling life.

I hope this was useful in some way and I will be writing some more detailed posts on the various topics listed above, feel free to leave a comment or ask a question as it is always good to hear how other people are dealing with being over 50

Pete