10 Best Weight Training For Over 50
Updated on: September 2023
Best Weight Training For Over 50 in 2023
Strength Training Past 50
Weights for 50+: Building Strength, Staying Healthy and Enjoying an Active Lifestyle
Weight Training for Women: Exercises and Workout Programs for Building Strength with Free Weights
Strength Training Over 50: Stay Fit and Fabulous
Healthy Energy Flow
The Big Book Of Weight Training For Women Over 50: Everything You Need To Know To Feel Great, Look Amazing, Live The Life You've Always Wanted, & Kick Butt After 50 For Women
Strength Training Over 40: A 6-Week Program to Build Muscle and Agility
The Barbell Prescription: Strength Training for Life After 40
Stay Fit for Life: More than 60 Exercises to Restore Your Strength and Future-Proof Your Body
Delavier's Women's Strength Training Anatomy Workouts
How I Am Staying Fit After 50
When a person is over fifty, staying fit is not as great a challenge as the fear of doing it. Talk to your doctor about taking these simple steps to commit to be fit.
Okay, I am fifty-six at the time of this writing. Staying fit and healthy is a concern as I am finally admitting that those parts of life are getting harder and require attention. What works to stay fit at the age of twenty doesn't necessary work at fifty.
Staying fit over fifty requires the same components of health as at most other ages. They are: Exercise, Diet, Belief and Will Power. Let me walk you through what I try to do each day in my life.
Diet starts the day as I almost always eat what I believe is a good breakfast---a mix of Cheerios and Fiber One and a cup of black coffee. The cereal mix confuses some, but I find there is nothing wrong with a little extra fiber. Follow this with a good lunch, low on cards, high on protein. The best way to guarantee this is to pack your own lunch. Of course, this saves money, too. My evening meal needs a good blend of fruits and vegetables, though I am passionate about pizza and often have to make up for that passion at other times.
The exercise is a little harder to come by. I always look to create ways for exercise.
The easiest is when I have completed the drive to my office, I park at a distance. Now, I park in a garage with ten floors. I like to park around the eighth floor and I exit the garage through a walkway to my office building on the second floor. These are not typical floors. There are eighteen steps between each floor, which means that between Floor 8 and Floor 2 are one hundred eight steps. Going down is fairly easy; it is the going up at the end of the day that can be a challenge.
The stairs give me mild cardio vascular work. At lunch, it is a benefit to be outside so I take a twenty minute walk. It has to be brisk. I look for shady areas on hot days. Twenty minutes is the minimum to accomplish anything worthwhile. I know there is a company that says you can exercise in four minutes, but I believe that is bunk. No one that I have read has ever agreed with that.
The leg work is easy and has no cost. For the upper body I am a big believer in bands. When I was in physical therapy for a rotator cuff problem, I learned about band work. Those big rubber bands which are of varying colors are good to work with and easier to stow away than weights. The colors vary by the strength of the band. The resistance is never too great, but I am not twenty-one anymore, anyway. If you are not challenged by the most difficult bands, go ahead and use barbells.
If a person wants to work exercise and diet together for fitness, especially as we age since there are one thousand other things to do with our time, belief must be part of the program. You must believe that fitness is important and possible at almost any age, and you must believe that you can achieve it.
This leads to will power. Everyone knows Mr. Will Power. He is the guy who guides you past the last cookie or another piece of cake or another helping of potatoes. He is also the friend who makes you get up to do the walk at noon, and the friend who keeps you from pushing the elevator button when the steps are available. He is your buddy. Don't lose track of him.
Here is the weekly schedule and how the most recent week worked for me:
Sunday: Twenty minutes on a treadmill to start the day. Most days, I prefer to walk outside with one of my dogs. Today, I just wasn't in the mood. Some people use tennis shoes made especially for walking; I don't think that is needed and have not done it. I followed this with about ten minutes of band work. Three times a week with the bands is my usual schedule.
Monday: The stairways are my starting point. This day, the lunch walk worked into my schedule quite well. I walked the dog for a mile. No band work today.
Tuesday: I did the stairs again today, but I was on the sixth floor. This does not feel as complete. I got in a good walk with my dog. I used black bands for about ten minutes.
Wednesday: One hundred eight steps in the parking garage. I walked two miles in the evening. No dog.
Thursday: The River called me today and I walked around the banks and close areas at lunchtime. This is a pleasant way to get in my exercise. Band work in the evening. I have done the bands three times and anything after this is optional.
Friday: I parked on the eighth floor again so I got the steps in. The lunchtime twenty minute walk was not refreshing as I walked on crowded concrete sidewalks. It took some will power which I will discuss later.
Saturday: As I often do, I rose before anyone else in my house and took the dog outside. We did a brisk walk of just over two miles.
If you are over fifty, try this for just a week if your doctor says it is okay. (Not everyone can do the steps so make sure you doctor gives you permission before you try it.) I think you will feel better and you will be prepared to continue for another week, then another and another.
