Posted on 07/09/2014 8:09:02 AM PDT by Foundahardheadedwoman
I’m 58. Granted, I’m pretty beat up these days. I’ve had my share of injuries, the result of having lived a rather careless active life outdoors, on horses, motorcycles, bicycles, and the field of competition. People my age who have not spent their years in a chair have an accumulation of aches and pains, most of them earned the hard way. And for us, beat up or not, the best way to stay in the game is to train for strength.
The conventional wisdom is that older people (ah, the term sticks in the craw) need to settle into a routine of walking around in the park when the weather is nice, maybe going to the mall for a brisk stroll in the comfort of the air conditioning, or a nice afternoon on the bicycle, checking out the local retirement communities — at a leisurely pace, of course. For the more adventurous, a round of golf really stretches out the legs. Maybe finish up with a challenging game of Canasta. Your doctor will tell you that this is enough to keep the old ticker ticking away, and should you choose to rev the engine like this every day, you’re doing everything you need to do to maintain the fantastic quality of life enjoyed by old people at the mall.
(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
Thanks for the pep talk. I’m 61 and feeling the pain.
Im a 60 year old hellraisin hillbilly. I go to the gym 3 times a week and stick with free weights, cables and stairmaster. The idea is to get the muscles pumped full of blood. I feel good and am fit. The only problem is my ugly old head gives away my age. Otherwise the chicks would be all over me.
-Paps
For people who are really out of shape, body weight exercises are a great place to start...Re gain some of your fitness, strength, and agility before you tackle the heavy weights. Here is a good place to start if you have an I phone or I pod.....http://lifehacker.com/quick-four-minute-workout-for-iphone-gets-you-active-an-1547603554
Weights 3X a week (arms only), 2 mile trail walk 4 - 5 days a week. Beer, steak & chips on the weekends and an occasional bowl of ice cream during every week or two. My goal is to enjoy life.
59 years old, 6’1”, 215lb same pant waist size I had in high school except the inseam is about 2” shorter!
I am 59 and started to work out again about 6 months ago.
I was trained in my 40’s by a guy named Ron Lacy former Mr. America and runner up Mr. World in 1957. He was 68 or 69 when he started training me. He never stopped lifting till he died at a block party in Lexington, Ky, dancing to ‘40’s music and his heart just stopped, so I heard. His warm up bench press was 240, I helped load the bar for squats and it was over 400 pounds. Myself and one of his sons spotted for him in his garage. He trained 6 preachers and one heathen, at that time I was the heathen. Ron was a deacon in the big Baptist church on Main Street and a humbler, nicer guy you would be hard pressed to find. The women were still chasing him up till his death. The Lexington Herald-Leader would come by each year and take photos and do a kind of pre-obit.
I worked in the coal mines till in my 30’s, hard physical work, my dad was a slave driver. Jumped out of an airplane when I was 42, don’t recommend it, I have had a broke back, have bulging discs, degenerative disc disease, sciatic nerve damage, arthritis of the spine, junk knees (crawling in low coal tends to do that), my left hip is junk, and I work out and hold a part time job. I do take meds, Bayer aspirin, various vitamins and supplements. My resting heart rate is 52 my blood pressure is 110 over 60 except when I am P.O.ed then it jumps to 110 over 60. I smoke 2 and a half packs a day and last time I had a breathing test I was 54 and blew into a machine, they told me I had 98% of the breathing capacity of a 50 year old non-smoker. Good genes I guess.
If I sit around I tend to lock up so other then typing at my computer I am actively doing something. I figure it this way, when I die I will rest, till then I plan to live.
I bought a kayak a couple of weeks ago and when I can figure out how to get in the thing I am going down the Cumberland, have rafted it before in my 40’s, this way should be more fun if I don’t bash my brains out on a rock or drown.
My vision is getting worse, with glasses it is now 20/15 from 20/10 and the doc tells me I have plus 1 glaucoma which I take it is not good. I can shoot anything and hit anything I shoot at if I can see it, and I see pretty well. My memory sucks but everything else functions pretty well. My hair in recent years has moved from my head to my back and I now wear a size 13 shoe up from 12 and a half. Have no idea why. I am irresistible to women and have told I am full of crap by same. Dogs and cats like me.
All that stuff aside, if what I foresee does come to pass, it behooves us to get in the best shape we can, sharpen our skills and be prepared for whatever may come. Old is a mental condition, it is all in your mind. I am mentally 16 while creeping up on 60. If I acted my age and condition I would be in a wheelchair, the only thing with wheels I ride is my pickup and Z3. I am going out with my boots on as my dad did, he got into the ambulance under his own power and was dead 3 hours later, black lung. He never gave up and I’ll be damned if I will either.
I’m still scoring Excellent (90+) on my Air Force PFT and beating a lot of the kids (captains and majors), after 4 knee surgeries and a shoulder surgery. I’m 56 and went to my orthopod last week to see if it was time for a knee replacement. He said, “Nah, let’s give you some injections and see if we can get you to 60 first”. I’ll take it. I swim, bike and run every week and do body weight calesthenics.
“My doctor recommended a book called Convict Conditioning which uses a few body weight exercises”
Marines also put out a book in the event a Marine is captured, (a rare thing), it explains how to keep in shape using your body weight. I use some of their techniques. It does work, but at a certain point in fitness body weight is not enough, it takes larger and larger amounts of weight to maintain and build your fitness. The myth of becoming muscle bound is just misinformation put out by wussies. As you become stronger you will also become more flexible and have much greater stamina. I use free weights they develop the muscles differently and they are more practicable muscles, I never went for the pretty prison muscles. One other thing, your wife or girlfriend will love you for it. Lot to be said for stamina.
“The conventional wisdom is that older people (ah, the term sticks in the craw) need to settle into a routine of walking around in the park when the weather is nice, maybe going to the mall for a brisk stroll in the comfort of the air conditioning, or a nice afternoon on the bicycle, checking out the local retirement communities “
This author is an idiot with absolutely no idea of what he is talking about.
And just out of curiosity where did you go to medical school?
One question, did you ever see or meet a runner with upper body strength or mass? I haven’t.
Yes I was fortunate. I went in for unrelated symptoms. My glucose and A1C were slightly elevated in September, but close to normal. I had a lot of upheaval and bad eating from Oct to early June. I should have known something was wrong. My eyesight deteriorated, I was crabby as hell, constantly hungry and often disoriented.
Fingers crossed; all seems well for now.
I graduated from the U. of Personal Experience. I minored in Advanced Ass Kicking. Anything else you need to know?
54 years old.
Started working out twice a day, 3 times a week since January. I’ve lost nearly 20 pounds and feel great.
In the mornings I will either do the MARSOC short card, run, kettlebells or the P90X ab workout, sometimes a combination of several, including some Crossfit workouts.
In the evenings I lift, emphasis on squats, thanks to the influence of Mark Rippetoe’s ‘Starting Strength.’
Getting plenty of rest, trying not to overtrain and watching my diet.
Old guys rule.
Nor I, with the exception of Navy Seals or Army Rangers.
On the trail, I rarely see a runner with a smile on their face. They don't look like they're enjoying themselves.
When I'm at the gym, I opt for more reps and less weight. Much easier on the joints.
“Im a 60 year old hellraisin hillbilly.”
Me too. Which hills?
You need to up your game, when I stopped lifting I was doing 5 days a week 2 times a day split routine. All free weights except for leg press and leg curls and leg extensions, only machines I ever used. Upper body in the morning, lower in the afternoon and vary your lifts and switch the sequence occasionally. I am easing back into it, surprised about how much strength I have retained. High protein, low fat, low carb diet. I was taking off the pounds while I lifted. My back was junk and after 3 years of training the pain came back after 12 years that is what has drove me back to it. Was pain free for 12 years.
Know from school of hard knocks that you can’t start off where you left off. I am also stupid.
Married woman with farm, was bush hogging a field when I got a bunch of barbed wire tangled in it. Got some bolt cutters and wire pliers forgot the jack, as I said I am stupid.
Found a short piece of wood, was an inch to long so looked at the the bush hog thought what can it weigh maybe 4 or 500 pounds, no sweat. Grabbed it lifted it and pushed the wood in with my foot. Felt a sharp pain just above my navel, paid it no attention.
Began to develop a bulge above my navel, naturally thought it was cancer, kills most of my folks, so figured not going to the doc don’t need any bad news.
It became larger and brushing against something caused pain, finally figured I would have to go to the doc.
I went found out I had an umbilical hernia had the surgery and no pain or bulge since that time.
I did the lift because I had forgotten that I was not in shape and the result was not pleasant. I have started to lift again but am easing into it and have dropped quite a bit of weight. Did I mention I was stupid?
>> Second for Convict Conditioning! I enjoy it... results are impressive.
Plus, you’ll still be able to keep up your fitness when we all are sent to the re-education camps! :-)
Glad to know someone else hates running. I’m always glad I did it when it’s over. When I hear people say “ oh, I love running”, I wonder if I’m the only one who hates it.
I used to run years ago, late 70s. Did it to lose weight/get fit. I did lose weight, heart/lungs improved, finally quit. I realized my feet and knees didn’t like it.
I hated it pretty much the whole time. Then I went to fast walking, about an hour or even more a day. Much better exercise and helped me keep very fit for many years.
I'm not as old as the writer, but could have written the rest of the opening with total honesty.
Other than walking the dogs and keeping up with the yard and landscaping, I haven't touched my exercise equipment since 2008 and I need to get started again.
After a couple of big hits worthy of ambulance rides, not that I can remember them, I've not found enough "want to" or "have to" to find my way back to my old exercise routines.
Turns out this "getting old" stuff is much harder than it looked when I was younger.
I do “power walking”...every day...for at least an hour.In good weather I do it outside.Bad weather...at a great mall near me.Granted it’s not BCT but it keeps my weight down,my A1c down and my muscles and joint limber.
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