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I wouldn't consider that particularly safe however. And safety is a consideration for the OP, as it should be.
Mike,
If you had asked me if this was safe four months ago I would have probably agreed with you. I am 5'6", 110 lbs, 68 years old and was diagnosed with osteoporosis 10 years ago. I started with a personal trainer in January and was particularly concerned with balance because of my risk of breaking an ankle, wrist or hip.
My trainer asked me if I could balance on one leg for 60 seconds with my eyes open (most people under 40 can do this.) As we age propreoception (sp.?) decreases - particularly after 60 years of age. (i.e. your brain knowing where your limbs are in space.) I could only maintain my balance for 3 seconds! He started by having me learn to balance with two feet on a rocker board. Within 4 weeks I could maintain my balance for 10 minutes. Standing on one leg on a solid service I was easily able to maintain my balance for 5 minutes.
Next my trainer taught me to do a perfect squat on a solid surface holding a medicine ball. Also learned to do bicep curls with 5 lb weights. He then had me add these moves one at a time until I could do them all balancing on the rocker board. I then combined doing bicep curls and squats as I balanced on the rocker board. I was proficient doing these moves by the end of three months.
I am now working on balancing on the rocker board with my eyes closed. It is much harder for someone my age to do balance exercises with my eyes closed - but, I am getting there. I expect to be able to master the squat and bicep curls ( eyes closed) on the rocker board within 2 or 3 months - because once your brain has relearned to connect with the nerves in your feet it seems that any new movement you try on the rocker board your brain quickly adapts and you can maintain your balance.
There are certain moves that are counter indicated for someone who has osteoporosis -so when I do squats I should never hold weights directly out in front of me. Weights need to be held close to my body to minimize strain on my spine. This is one reason I work with a personal trainer so that my form is good and the movement is appropriate given my medical history.
Oh, and after I master doing these exercises with my eyes closed the next thing to try will be a one legged squat on the rocker board. At this point I can't even imagine doing a one legged squat, but, 4 months ago I could not even imagine being able to do a simple squat while maintaining my balance on a rocker board.
I am extremely concerned about what exercises I can do safely and that is why I rely on an experienced personal trainer for guidance. I stress "experienced" because I tried trainers in the past when I was first diagnosed with osteoporosis and they started me out with sit ups, cruches on stability balls and exercises which involved twisting at the waist- all of which are counter indicated for someone with osteoporosis. Exercising under the guidance of an experienced trainer - particularly when you are just starting an exercise program is worth the expense.
If you had asked me if this was safe four months ago I would have probably agreed with you. I am 5'6", 110 lbs, 68 years old and was diagnosed with osteoporosis 10 years ago. I started with a personal trainer in January and was particularly concerned with balance because of my risk of breaking an ankle, wrist or hip.
My trainer asked me if I could balance on one leg for 60 seconds with my eyes open (most people under 40 can do this.) As we age propreoception (sp.?) decreases - particularly after 60 years of age. (i.e. your brain knowing where your limbs are in space.) I could only maintain my balance for 3 seconds! He started by having me learn to balance with two feet on a rocker board. Within 4 weeks I could maintain my balance for 10 minutes. Standing on one leg on a solid service I was easily able to maintain my balance for 5 minutes.
Next my trainer taught me to do a perfect squat on a solid surface holding a medicine ball. Also learned to do bicep curls with 5 lb weights. He then had me add these moves one at a time until I could do them all balancing on the rocker board. I then combined doing bicep curls and squats as I balanced on the rocker board. I was proficient doing these moves by the end of three months.
I am now working on balancing on the rocker board with my eyes closed. It is much harder for someone my age to do balance exercises with my eyes closed - but, I am getting there. I expect to be able to master the squat and bicep curls ( eyes closed) on the rocker board within 2 or 3 months - because once your brain has relearned to connect with the nerves in your feet it seems that any new movement you try on the rocker board your brain quickly adapts and you can maintain your balance.
There are certain moves that are counter indicated for someone who has osteoporosis -so when I do squats I should never hold weights directly out in front of me. Weights need to be held close to my body to minimize strain on my spine. This is one reason I work with a personal trainer so that my form is good and the movement is appropriate given my medical history.
Oh, and after I master doing these exercises with my eyes closed the next thing to try will be a one legged squat on the rocker board. At this point I can't even imagine doing a one legged squat, but, 4 months ago I could not even imagine being able to do a simple squat while maintaining my balance on a rocker board.
I am extremely concerned about what exercises I can do safely and that is why I rely on an experienced personal trainer for guidance. I stress "experienced" because I tried trainers in the past when I was first diagnosed with osteoporosis and they started me out with sit ups, cruches on stability balls and exercises which involved twisting at the waist- all of which are counter indicated for someone with osteoporosis. Exercising under the guidance of an experienced trainer - particularly when you are just starting an exercise program is worth the expense.
Thanks for the lengthy feedback. Since I'd like to be extremely cautious, getting a personal trainer is probably best. Good to know.
If you had asked me if this was safe four months ago I would have probably agreed with you. I am 5'6", 110 lbs, 68 years old and was diagnosed with osteoporosis 10 years ago. I started with a personal trainer in January and was particularly concerned with balance because of my risk of breaking an ankle, wrist or hip.
My trainer asked me if I could balance on one leg for 60 seconds with my eyes open (most people under 40 can do this.) As we age propreoception (sp.?) decreases - particularly after 60 years of age. (i.e. your brain knowing where your limbs are in space.) I could only maintain my balance for 3 seconds! He started by having me learn to balance with two feet on a rocker board. Within 4 weeks I could maintain my balance for 10 minutes. Standing on one leg on a solid service I was easily able to maintain my balance for 5 minutes.
Next my trainer taught me to do a perfect squat on a solid surface holding a medicine ball. Also learned to do bicep curls with 5 lb weights. He then had me add these moves one at a time until I could do them all balancing on the rocker board. I then combined doing bicep curls and squats as I balanced on the rocker board. I was proficient doing these moves by the end of three months.
I am now working on balancing on the rocker board with my eyes closed. It is much harder for someone my age to do balance exercises with my eyes closed - but, I am getting there. I expect to be able to master the squat and bicep curls ( eyes closed) on the rocker board within 2 or 3 months - because once your brain has relearned to connect with the nerves in your feet it seems that any new movement you try on the rocker board your brain quickly adapts and you can maintain your balance.
There are certain moves that are counter indicated for someone who has osteoporosis -so when I do squats I should never hold weights directly out in front of me. Weights need to be held close to my body to minimize strain on my spine. This is one reason I work with a personal trainer so that my form is good and the movement is appropriate given my medical history.
Oh, and after I master doing these exercises with my eyes closed the next thing to try will be a one legged squat on the rocker board. At this point I can't even imagine doing a one legged squat, but, 4 months ago I could not even imagine being able to do a simple squat while maintaining my balance on a rocker board.
I am extremely concerned about what exercises I can do safely and that is why I rely on an experienced personal trainer for guidance. I stress "experienced" because I tried trainers in the past when I was first diagnosed with osteoporosis and they started me out with sit ups, cruches on stability balls and exercises which involved twisting at the waist- all of which are counter indicated for someone with osteoporosis. Exercising under the guidance of an experienced trainer - particularly when you are just starting an exercise program is worth the expense.
Thanks Mary for posting that. And congratulations on the progress you're making. It's food for thought. It's good that you do the exercises under the guidance of an experienced trainer. I assume that he's close enough to catch you if you should lose your balance. Good balance is an important component of fitness and is something I should be working on myself since I'm 62 and I have noticed that my balance isn't as good as it used to be.
Thanks Mary for posting that. And congratulations on the progress you're making. It's food for thought. It's good that you do the exercises under the guidance of an experienced trainer. I assume that he's close enough to catch you if you should lose your balance. Good balance is an important component of fitness and is something I should be working on myself since I'm 62 and I have noticed that my balance isn't as good as it used to be.
Mike,
Yes, an experienced trainer showing you how to use the equipment (and taking notes in my little black book so I remembered how to use each piece of equipment) is extremely important. And yes, as he taught me how to use the equipment he was right there to catch me if needed. This is the rocker board I use:
I had so much fun using it at the gym I bought one to use at home.
I had never heard of proprioception (got the spelling correct this time). I had no idea how easy it is to retrain your brain to "read" the signals the nerves in your feet are sending your brain to maintain your balance!
The rocker board is a great way to retrain your brain. Other things my trainer picked up on very quickly was that when I was warming up on the automated treadmill I was not striking with my heel and pushing off with my toes. I was developing the dreaded senior shuffle. He moved me over to a manual treadmill called the Curve. The belt does not move unless you strike it with your heel and push off with your toes. It took me a few visits to the gym to be able to maintain my balance on this piece of equipment, but, within a few weeks the shuffle was gone and I regained "a spring in my step".
Someone under 40 should be able to balance on one foot for 60 seconds with eyes open and for 30 seconds with eyes closed. Once you get past the age of 60 you start to lose the ability to do these two simple exercises. Balancing with two feet on the rocker board allows you to retrain the brain and once you can balance on the rocker board your balance on one foot on a solid surface quickly improves. Training your brain to do this with your eyes closed is much harder, but, I am getting there.
I'm a young male and I'd like a better ass, which exercise is best for this? I heard that squats, over time, hurt your back and knees. Is this true?
Also I'm looking for workouts I can do from home. As for workout equipment, I have two 35 lb dumbells. Any safe exercises to form a nice ass?
I don't believe in heavy weighted squats...do bodyweight squats with a mixture of light weight squats.
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