How much exercise can one do in their 40s, 50s, 60s? (building, running)

[johnnyrussell67]

It's great to hear that you're already incorporating exercise into your routine! To answer your questions:

You don't have to be an athlete or a Hollywood actor/actress to train hard. However, it's important to know your limits and gradually increase intensity over time to avoid injury. It's also advisable to seek guidance from a qualified fitness professional if you're unsure about proper form or technique.

Overtraining is definitely a real thing and can lead to fatigue, injury, and decreased performance. It's important to listen to your body and take rest days as needed. Proper warm-up, stretching, and sleep are also essential components of a well-rounded workout routine.

Regular exercise for older adults can actually be beneficial for overall health and can help prevent age-related decline in muscle mass and bone density. It's important to incorporate a variety of exercises and listen to your body to avoid injury.

Sprinting, running, and HIIT can all be done without injury if proper form and technique are used and intensity is gradually increased over time.

Low impact habits like walking and yoga can definitely have a positive impact on general wellness, health, alertness, and strength. These types of exercises can help improve flexibility, balance, and cardiovascular health.

[Chava61]

My dad is 85 years old and is still doing 50 pushups plus other exercises before jogging most mornings before eating breakfast! My dad started this routine when he was 29-30 years old.

[ShampooBanana]

There are a number of studies that have shown a strong correlation between strength and longevity in older people. Strength training also generally improves bone density, balance, and flexibility assuming you are doing it correctly. Higher amounts of all of those things have strong correlations to lower mortality and better health markers in older adults. Personally, I'm 45 and I swim a couple thousand yards 2 days a week plus do pretty hardcore strength training 3 days per week. I'm one of the strongest guys in my gym. In the late spring/summer I'm also mountain biking every weekend. I can honestly say I'm in as good of shape as I've ever been, and I will continue to do what I'm doing as long as I'm able.

Rage, rage, against the dying of the light!

[burdell]

Originally Posted by CCS414

At my last trackday I saw three different guys in two different paddock spaces that were all pumped and ripped. All had grey hair. I'm guessing late 50's, early 60's.

Paul Newman wasn't too shabby being on the 24 Hours of Daytona winning team at age 70.

[carcrazy67]

You CAN be in really good condition in your 70's! It takes physical effort in addition to some good old common sense! Will you be like a well tuned athlete in their 20s-30's....nope, but you can still do things a lot of 40 and 50 year old people can't! At 72, I am in training right now to do some mountain climbing, ice climbing and extreme hiking in Alaska in June. The gains in strength and endurance I've made in just the last 5 weeks has been surprising...even to me (and I was starting from a pretty good baseline). People need to get off the couch and do something...it will pay off!

[chacho_keva]

62 years-old here. My weekly goal is to exercise 4 days per week. I mostly do resistance and cardio exercises. Once in a while, I'll do three 2-minute rounds on the heavy bag and that I mostly do to have some form of self-defense in case needed. Happy to announce it was only last week that I was prescribed a daily oral medication for the 1st time. Blood pressure, cholesterol, etc., all else in check so far.

[Listener2307]

How much exercise can one do in their 40s, 50s, 60s?

Quite a lot, I am finding - if they keep it up every week.
I see a lot of people who waited too long to start. I'm sure their efforts are helping, but you kind of need to get a running start, so to speak.
I'm 78.

[chacho_keva]

Today is April 17, 2023. In the course of running errands, today I ran into a fellow "gym rat" (Mr. Gee) whom I had not seen in over 16 years. He was in his 60's when I was in my 40's. We both exercised at the same Community College gym for at least a decade. I had not seen Mr. Gee since 2007. I was both surprised and elated to see my fellow "gym rat" after so many years. I'm now in my 60's and Mr. Gee is 89 years old. He still drives, is coherent, his memory is relatively intact, and still goes to the gym religiously. Says much about exercising.

It was nice to see you, Mr. Gee. May you live an even longer life.

[Jill_Schramm]

Originally Posted by superseiyan

I work out now. Nothing crazy--I lift twice a week (only for 30 mins, I don't max), I walk ALOT and I do hard sprints 2-3 times a week. I rest completely on weekends, but during the week I"m working out every day essentially. So I'm wondering if this is sustainable into my 40s and beyond. How much training is 'overtraining' and is working out more than 2-3 days a week overall sustainable? Not like powerlifting or maxing out but just going in for moderate strength exercise 2-3 times a week.

I'm thinking in terms of physiology and lifestyle what's reasonable and advisable for older people. I do have a couple of questions:

*Should only athletes or Hollywood actors/actresses with personal trainers be training hard at all? Bear with me for how basic this question is, but what I'm getting at is how safely we can push ourselves without guidance.

* Is overtraining a real thing or do most of us (including me!) flatter ourselves at how hard we are actually working out? I've seen it put that many men overthink overtraining but underthink the small stuff like warmup, stretching and sleep.

* It sounds counterintuitive, but how can regular exercise for older folks be good? Doesn't it introduce wear and tear to your body?

* Is sprinting, running or HIIT possible without injury?

* Do low impact habits like walking or yoga matter at all for general wellness health alertness and strength?

But more generally curious to hear from those that are 50+ and exercise regularly but also enjoy it and find that it adds to their life. How you're able to keep fitness and exercise into your routine in a sustainable way and if you have made any changes along the way?

I’m 59 and I just switched from cardio (pretty hard running or cycling) 5 days in a row with 2 days off on the weekend to a 3-day-on, 1-day-off, 2-days-on, 1-day-off pattern. So I’m still doing the same amount of cardio, just not 5 days in a row.

[H8t3rs]

I'm in my mid 50s, I take 2 days off of a month. I average 10-14 of hours of exercise a week. I don't chit chat with people, so my routine is jam packed with cardio and lifting.