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today i measure my gains in what i am not losing .
at 65 my arms are still pretty big . they just are not getting any bigger no matter how hard i workout . that has been pretty much the deal for me since my late 50's . i no longer saw growth . but i have not seen a lot of loss .
An excellent read on this subject is a book called "Younger Next Year" by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge, MD. Although the book is several years old (2004, I think), it talks about the benefits of hard physical exercise into your 80's.
I started out balance and strength training in Jan 16 because I have osteoporosis and I wanted to do everything possible to lower my risk of breaking a bone. I worked with a personal trainer with a background in physical therapy to insure I was doing exercises correctly and to learn what exercises not to do.
I am 69, female and weigh 110 pounds. I had no upper body strength and very little leg strength 15 months ago.
When I started I could only do a seated leg press for a set of 10 with 25 pounds. Today I can do 170 pounds. My 1rm ( one rep maximum) is twice my bodyweight - considered good for a 20 something.
My wrists were so weak I struggled to do a wrist curl with a 3 pound dumbbell. Today, I use a fixed wrist roller you attach on a rack at shoulder height and I just moved up to wrist rolling a 53 pound kettle bell. That is 48% of my body weight. The average person is considered strong if they can wrist roll 15% of their body weight. I will match my hand grip, wrist and forearm strength against anyone of any age at my gym.
Two months ago I started indoor rock climbing on the 34' high rock climbing wall at my gym. I climb 3x's a week. It uses a combination of balance, leg and arm strength.
It is never to late to start exercising and you don't know how much stronger you can get until you try.
An excellent read on this subject is a book called "Younger Next Year" by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge, MD. Although the book is several years old (2004, I think), it talks about the benefits of hard physical exercise into your 80's.
Like the stories of lottery winners there are more than enough anecdotes to make ANYTHING seem possible. But the best advice is not to spew off what the "genetically blessed" or the "crazily driven" have accomplished, but what is best for the overall body, mind and health.
At 63 I simply don't use the weights as much. I walk. I spend a number of hours on my feet around the house doing projects. I ride my bike - even if only a couple blocks to the hardware store. I play tennis - not very often because those who do so at my age tend to injure themselves.
I'm also a sailor which requires lots of various movements from dragging a dingy across the sand to raising the main sail. This, to me, is ideal cross-training and I get the views and fresh air to go along with it.
Spending any (or much) time in a gym at my age seems a bit of a waste. After all, it's sunny and nice outside (I winter in Florida and summer on the New England Coast).
I think we (wife and I) eat as well as we every did - been vegetarian since we were 16 and don't eat fast or junk food.
More power to those who wish to obsess on a particular goal...but my point is that is probably a small minority of the population.
many times your position and view changes when events change .
my friend is one of the wealthiest men in the country . he is ceo for a few different company's .
he used to tell me he barely had time to pee .
well a heart attack has now changed his priority's .
the first thing every morning on his top things to do list is the gym .
he went from avoiding working out , and no time , to now everything else takes a back seat and he works out very intensely .
years ago i was pretty inert . well a good scare from my blood work and lots of meds for blood pressure , cholesterol and my new found disease diabetes changed those priority's .
that is how life usually works . today i am motivated to keep doing what i do and run 5 miles because if i don't it is back on the meds .
usually a lifestyle change is not because one wants to , but some event happens and now they have to .
anything we do daily in our lives is really not exercise once the body adjusts .
walking , carrying grocery's , etc all become just routine and stop the growth .
a ditch digger will never become any stronger than it takes to lift that shovel .
so true exercise differs because it continually forces the body to grow . even my running has to always be adjusted higher . once i get used to that level my heart rate drops and i no longer work in the zone i want to be in .
You don't lose muscle by continuing the same level of effort. You're assuming that others want their muscles stronger/bigger. Personally, I don't. I want them right where they are. I work out to maintain my strength and cardio at the level I have worked for, not to continually increase it.
I'm not retired or even considering it, but I am on the fast track (I'm 52) I no longer lift like I did in my 20s until my 40s, which was heavy and crazy. I stopped all of that and have been doing body-weight, along with a boxing workout (No sparring) in the last several years. Also, during the spring, Fallnand summer months, I enjoy working out and training outside. The sun does wonders for my energy.
This is a lot better on my joints and longevity in general. As someone else here mentioned, Yoga is a good idea and something I may consider. I think the idea, a least for myself is to remain active, keep the pounds off, while maintaining some appreciable and functional muscle mass and strength.
Just do something you like and enjoy, and the rest will take care of itself.
anything we do daily in our lives is really not exercise once the body adjusts .
walking , carrying grocery's , etc all become just routine and stop the growth .
a ditch digger will never become any stronger than it takes to lift that shovel .
so true exercise differs because it continually forces the body to grow . even my running has to always be adjusted higher . once i get used to that level my heart rate drops and i no longer work in the zone i want to be in .
That's why everybody in the olympics is tied for 1st place and the lightweight weight lifters can lift as much as the super heavyweights. And eventually everyone will be able to lift a million billion tons. And then more.
Just keep adding more weight and growing
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