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I'm not tall 5'4, I run and do squats as well.....
One of the ladies at work is like that. Age 50 about 5'4"
I took her to the gym with me for six months and we focused on squats and then more squats and ended with squats.... Real low bar ATG stuff.
Buns of steel now. Yours look pretty good, as in tight and pinch worthy, as well.
Compliments because we know it cannot be faked and is entirely earned.
Heavy is relative. Being 64 and having injuries means that's heavy for you. Lifting 50lbs is light to me but is massive to someone else. It's relative
This is true.
As one gets to a particular age, it becomes frustrating. I'm in my 60s, and I still have the ability to get stronger (slowly, slowly, in small increments), but it's the cartilege in my joints and the bursea around my muscles that are betraying me.
I'm able to make gradual improvements by alternating periods of increasing weight at lower reps (8 reps), then when I feel discomfort (danged bursitis in my left hip being the main problem), staying at that weight while slowly increasing reps to 16. When I can do that weight up to 16 reps, I add weight to the stack and start again at 8 reps.
But cartilage and bursae can't continuously improve as muscle can. I suspect that at some point fairly soon I'll run into a wall.
As one gets to a particular age, it becomes frustrating. I'm in my 60s, and I still have the ability to get stronger (slowly, slowly, in small increments), but it's the cartilege in my joints and the bursea around my muscles that are betraying me.
I'm able to make gradual improvements by alternating periods of increasing weight at lower reps (8 reps), then when I feel discomfort (danged bursitis in my left hip being the main problem), staying at that weight while slowly increasing reps to 16. When I can do that weight up to 16 reps, I add weight to the stack and start again at 8 reps.
But cartilage and bursae can't continuously improve as muscle can. I suspect that at some point fairly soon I'll run into a wall.
Exactly ^^. That is my point. People here keep throwing around "LIFT HEAVY" - well heavy is relative and can be terrible advice for anyone older, out of shape, with injuries etc. That type advice could have someone injuring themselves and insuring they never improve their muscle or fitness. Best to start EASY and see what one's limits are, and find out what THEY think "heavy" is.
One of the ladies at work is like that. Age 50 about 5'4"
I took her to the gym with me for six months and we focused on squats and then more squats and ended with squats.... Real low bar ATG stuff.
Buns of steel now. Yours look pretty good, as in tight and pinch worthy, as well.
Compliments because we know it cannot be faked and is entirely earned.
Been running pretty much all my life since I was 16 and really do enjoy it!... I don't add any weights when doing squats myself, only use weights when working upper body. Like I stated before at 50 it more about staying healthy at this stage in life for me....
A BIG part of staying healthy for the plus 50 crowd, is strength training, which is often neglected. No need to use really heavy weights which often results in injury if the exercises are performed improperly. To maintain the overall workload, simply use less weight and do more repetitions. In fact, by using less weight you'll probably accomplish a greater overall workload than you would do if using heavier weights.
At age 64, I employ my own modified version of German Volume training, which I highly recommend, especially when modified to suit YOUR needs. Modifications to consider: longer rest, more sets and/or reps, fewer sets and/or reps. There's likely to be additional modifications that can be made, but the ones I listed are the ones that come to mind most readily, and the ones that I have personally experimented with. If you decide to utilize German Volume Training, know your fitness level and make adjustments accordingly. Take care of yourself. No one else will do that for you.
Last edited by CosmicWizard; 05-23-2014 at 01:31 PM..
Something else I do in my weight training is to incorporate my heart rate monitor to determine when to start the next set. I allow my heartrate to drop between sets until it "bounces."
My heartrate increases during the set and for a couple of seconds after the set (for instance, it goes to about 162 for a really good set of squats...I wind-sprint in cardio up to 185, so 160 represents moderately high exertion). I'll let my heart rate then fall until it stops falling and bounces up a beat, which may be, say, around 135 bpm. Then I'll start the next set.
This isn't rocket science, and to be honest, someone who has been doing weight training for a while would probably discover that the same point is where he normally "feels" ready to start the next set.
@ Wildcard ; Your legs are defined and perfectly perportioned for your height. Very nice!
The photo of the second woman in the OP's initial post depicts someone who appears sickly and weak, dieting only and to the point of excess. Disgusting.
Bit extreme, wouldn't you say? She is an attractive woman even though she doesn't have muscular legs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CosmicWizard
A BIG part of staying healthy for the plus 50 crowd, is strength training, which is often neglected. No need to use really heavy weights which often results in injury if the exercises are performed improperly. To maintain the overall workload, simply use less weight and do more repetitions. In fact, by using less weight you'll probably accomplish a greater overall workload than you would do if using heavier weights.
At age 64, I employ my own modified version of German Volume training, which I highly recommend, especially when modified to suit YOUR needs. Modifications to consider: longer rest, more sets and/or reps, fewer sets and/or reps. There's likely to be additional modifications that can be made, but the ones I listed are the ones that come to mind most readily, and the ones that I have personally experimented with. If you decide to utilize German Volume Training, know your fitness level and make adjustments accordingly. Take care of yourself. No one else will do that for you.
As others have stated, heavy is a relative term. The problem with the way some (mostly females) lift weights, is they take a 3 lb dumbbell and do 30 presses or curls and stop after they get bored. A good rule of thumb for new weightlifters is to add the smallest amount of weight once you can do 12 reps. You should always lift to where you fail to complete the last rep.
Exactly ^^. That is my point. People here keep throwing around "LIFT HEAVY" - well heavy is relative and can be terrible advice for anyone older, out of shape, with injuries etc. That type advice could have someone injuring themselves and insuring they never improve their muscle or fitness. Best to start EASY and see what one's limits are, and find out what THEY think "heavy" is.
Again, it's relative. People see lift heavy and think, "Heavy!! If I lift 300lbs I'll hurt myself!" and go back to curling their 3lb dumbbell for sets of 30
villageidiot1 wrote:As others have stated, heavy is a relative term.
An example of the relativity you speak of: On the first 3 or 4 sets when performing the German Volume routine, the weight seems really light, and by the time sets 8, 9, & 10 roll around that same weight seems super heavy. Same weight all the way thru, but a uniquely different perception of that weight with each set.
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