Just starting fitness at 35 (soreness, muscles, lifting weights, bench press)

[D. Scott]

Hello all,

In my continuing quest to improve myself, I hunkered down and joined the local gym. The procrastination is over! But I need some advice.

I was an avid cyclist back about 5 years ago, but no weights. I am slim but yet i seem to have a bit of fat around the waist. I also have cut back on smoking, and eat a good diet..No fast food, at least 3 servings of veggies. And am drinking more water. My goal is to get toned and build energy and strength.

I start on Monday morning. Any advice of exercises I should focus on? And should I go light weights/high reps pr low reps/heavy weights? At this age and having some reduced endurance due to inactivity should I go more than 3 times a week? Any advice appreciated, and feel free to share any "how I got fit" stories. And I promise I will go as really want this. Drew is ready!

[grmi66]

Once you hit about 35 you lose 1% of your muscle mass a year. So if you do not exercise at all, you would lose 10% of your muscles by the time you are 45 years old. I used to be a big time cardio junkie, raced bicycles, ran half marathons, etc... But the more I read about what happens to your body as you age, found out that strength and mobility are the two most important things that you can do.

Keep things simple and google Rippetoe's 5x5 routine for lifting weights. It is a basic lifting routine that will get you in shape. For conditioning, add a 5 minute run before you workout to warm up and add two sessions of hill sprints somewhere in your week. I also make sure that I take my dog out for a 2-4 mile walk after dinner at least 4 days a week. I wasted years getting exercise routines out of various men's magazines that did not do anything. With a 5x5 routine you will see progress that you can track.

[LookinForMayberry]

Congratulations on a good choice, Drew.

My best advice is to seek the personal training available at your gym. Everyone's body is different, and taking advice from strangers online isn't your best option. First, you don't know the expertise of the persons giving the advice, and second, their situations are all different from yours.

What I can say, as a former certified fitness trainer, is that it is best to start slow and pay very close attention to your body's reactions to the workouts. At the start, don't exercise the same muscle groups (upper or lower) on consecutive days; allow a rest day in between.

Warm up with some light cardio before your resistance training to get more blood to the muscles, and cool down afterward to allow a nice, easy return to stasis. I've always found it best to slowly and deeply stretch each muscle worked after the workout, and then about every two hours afterward to avoid delayed onset muscle soreness.

Best wishes.

[springfieldva]

Circuit weight machines are an easy place to start strength training large muscle groups. A trainer can demonstrate proper form and help you adjust the settings on the machines.

Be careful not to lift too much weight at first, especially when it comes to your back muscles. Start off with fairly low weights and see how you feel the next morning.

On a side note:

I finally quit smoking for good - quit cold turkey - when I was in my 30's. And it is, hands down, one of the best things I've ever done for myself. I'm now in my mid 40's and I can't even imagine me picking up a cigarette now.

I'm currently in the process of losing some excess weight and getting back into shape. I'm a work in progress, not a success story yet but I'm getting there and having fun doing it.

[DennyCrane]

Start off simple. Don't try to do too much at once. Since you're new to weights, focus on learning proper form first and if you can, use free weights as opposed to machines. Don't be tempted to lift heavy. You need to learn the correct technique before you add lots of weight to the bar. And focus on compound exercises like bench press, squat, and deadlift. As for cardio, you may be told to do HIIT. This is an advanced technique best saved for later. For now, just do some steady state cardio. Most important of all is to eat clean. Getting older isn't just about keeping the weight off. A lifetime of eating less than perfect can catch up to you by your 30s. All the more reason to eat better now. I think you'll find that it'll help your workouts too.

[spacelord75]

I am also 35, but have worked out and ran consistently since I was 18. If I had to boil down what works best for me right now, I would offer the following tips:

1) Look for efficiency (work more by doing less)
2) Pay attention to recovery (sleep and eat properly)
3) Go for high intensity over high volume

Aim to work out 5 times a week if you can. 2 days in the gym, 3 days outside running. For weight days, focus on compound movements that incorporate mulitple muscle groups - squats, bench press, power cleans, deadlifts, pull ups, etc. On running days, you need to mix it up between "jogging" and sprinting. I personally would jog one day (just build up over time...start small, like 1/2 mile, then add 1/2 mile increments over time), and do sprints the other 2 days. Again, with sprints, start small and do them up hill if you can (it reduces chances of pulled hamstrings). Start with 4 times 50-70 yards, then build up and longer (never exceeding 100yards) over time. Sprinting is the most natural and efficient way to sculpt your body, in my opinion....man has been sprinting since we were being chased by dinosaurs and trying to catch food.