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Post by chanduthemagician on Jul 27, 2019 0:52:02 GMT
So I've and others here have talked a bit about training as we age. I'm 50, so here are older and some younger. I recently posted a couple of links in the discussion on the Importance of Powerlifting. Today while training it occurred to me that the feeling I get from any number of reps you care to name is about 1/2 what it used to be. By that I mean it takes about double the amount of reps in a set to get the same pump or feel I used to get from half that number. I don't know if that is an age thing, or if that is simply a 35 years of strength training thing. Today I worked out with 20-30 reps for most lifts and I realized it felt like what 10 to 15 reps used to feel like as far as fatigue, pump and so on. Also over the last five years or so, when I do multiple sets it absolutely kills me to rest more than 1 minute between them. I have to force myself. I normally rest 30 seconds and then get on with the next set. Not to long ago I did a periodized percentage based strength workout wherein there were work sets of 3 or 5 with 5 minutes of rest between them. I felt like an absolute dork sitting around waiting for 5 minutes to tick of the clock before it was go time. I don't know if my reduced rest times have brought about the change in feeling of reps or not, or if it's just another change my body has gone through. Anyone else experience similar? |
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Post by Bruce Tackett on Jul 27, 2019 1:47:29 GMT
Who knows? As I age, I seem to just instinctively do routines that feel right, and make me feel good and pumped. I can tell you that at 50, I could put myself through the same workouts I had always done. Approaching 60 is when I started feeling the need to modify things a bit. It's amazing. There was a time when I viewed 70 as being super old and over the hill. I feel great at 70, enjoy riding my bike, and I enjoy working out as much as ever. I'm beginning to wonder if there will ever be a "too old".
I was talking to my 77 year old neighbor, who is a really nice guy. He was suggesting that I join the senior citizen's club and get to know more people. Fuck that. I don't like being around old people. I feel like I'm visiting with my grandparent's friends. I enjoy the company of younger people and they seem to accept me as one of the guys. And I especially love children. Having all these children as neighbors who like to visit with me is a blessing. I miss my own little ones very much.
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Post by chanduthemagician on Jul 27, 2019 2:14:21 GMT
I was talking to my 77 year old neighbor, who is a really nice guy. He was suggesting that I join the senior citizen's club and get to know more people. Fuck that. I don't like being around old people. I feel like I'm visiting with my grandparent's friends. I enjoy the company of younger people and they seem to accept me as one of the guys. And I especially love children. Having all these children as neighbors who like to visit with me is a blessing. I miss my own little ones very much. In some respects I agree. I did some crossfit for a short period a year ago and there was a 60 year old woman in the class. She could more than hold her own with the 30 somethings that made up most of the female population at the time period I'd go. Her kids were teasing her because she was always busy on the weekends attending her 30-something friend's showers, weddings and what not. I think the big take away for me on the strength training aspect is I *think* I'm finally getting to a point where I can train instinctively. I'm listening to my body, pushing it a bit, but listening. Rather than when I was younger and I'd try to train instinctively which really amounted to doing what I thought I could regardless of what my body said sometimes. I'll train with whatever feels best. It seems to an extent like higher reps and more variety are going to be my main stay. I'll never give up heavy weights entirely, I do have an ego to feed sometimes and as long as I'm smart about it, I can keep the risk to a minimum. |
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pierinifitness
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I do burpees, then I drink slurpees
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Post by pierinifitness on Jul 27, 2019 3:41:05 GMT
To comment on what you share, assuming loads are comparable, I think what you’re experiencing is the benefit of improved conditioning and strength. Adding to the old man comments, I’m doing some decent stuff for a 64 year old person but less than what I was doing when my age clock struck 50. Some here may have read this when it appeared at my blog earlier this year. It’s been very popular as measured by view count and is now among the top five most popular middle-aged man reflections at Pierini Fitness: pierini-fitness.blogspot.com/2019/02/comparison-is-thief-of-joy.html?m=1 |
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Post by chanduthemagician on Jul 27, 2019 4:00:29 GMT
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Post by mr potatohead on Jul 27, 2019 12:32:09 GMT
For most exercises, I don't count reps and I pay no attention to specific time marks.
Although I may casually notice these, I go for the right feeling to tell me I'm done and use whatever tools, hold times, movements, reps or whatever to create that feeling. I like holds, yielding isos and partials because I know from experience they take less time. Pour on the tension, time required for completion becomes shorter - TUT.
Becoming aware of the right feeling, when to stop, comes from experience with my body.
No one can tell me that I need to do certain number of reps with certain weight, since they don't live in MY body.
So, I may have energy to do more or I may do less in a particular session or day, but the feeling I have when I reach completion of the exercise(s) stays relatively the same, making the exercises for the day approximately right for me, at my age and capabilities.
I do what feels good and what is comfortable until I reach my threshold-of-fatigue feeling.
This makes exercise much simpler and enjoyable for me.
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Michael
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He cuts down trees. He wears high heels, suspendies, and a bra?!
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Post by Michael on Jul 28, 2019 0:19:33 GMT
Chandu, I'm one year behind You in age. Because I'm a fan of KBs I prefer a combination of strength and conditioning training. I prefer less rest. With KBs, I prefer low reps like 1-5 for strength moves and 5-20 for conditioning exercises. When I work my arms with DBs or cables I prefer higher reps like 10-20 reps. I rest the least amount of time as possible which I find enjoyable. This is what I feel enhances my enjoyment and how I feel everyday.
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Post by stormshadow on Jul 30, 2019 3:08:06 GMT
I enjoyed this thread. I like sayings and expressions and Zen Koans.
My Dad shared something with me that always resonated. Don't compare yourself to who you were in the past, but strive to improve yourself and be the best you can be in the present.
Always liked that one and I think it fits here quite well. I always found it interesting that as one gets older the body weakens, but the mind, spirit and wisdom can continue to grow stronger despite the advancing years.
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pierinifitness
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I do burpees, then I drink slurpees
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Post by pierinifitness on Jul 30, 2019 4:51:53 GMT
Agree with you stormshadow about what grows with aging but you forgot to mention something else that generally grows with aging - DENIAL!!
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Post by machinehead on Jul 30, 2019 12:49:52 GMT
This guy has aged well:
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Post by chanduthemagician on Jul 30, 2019 20:27:58 GMT
With the assistance of a large PED bill. That weight on ANY body is a lot of load on the heart. At 62 it's looking for trouble. Jack LaLane or someone similar would be more in line with what I'm striving for as I age. I've never used anabolics and have no plans to start. |
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Post by mr potatohead on Jul 31, 2019 3:56:40 GMT
Yeah. Screw that. (large PED bill) Yes to Jack LaLanne. |
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stuke
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Post by stuke on Jul 31, 2019 7:52:36 GMT
When he's in that red t shirt in the pic he reminds me of stallone, that sort of big, awkward weird bulky look. Less so when in his vest to be honest.
Speaking of Stallone and that look, I really first noticed it on Rambo 4 (or First Blood 4 as I prefer to think of it); I remember thinking, what on Earth? He had some very obvious muscular bulk, yet it looked more loke his whole torso had swollen, like his ribcage, midsection, arms etc had increasrd their base size, just got bigger without the muscle looking much bigger if you see what I mean. Jard to describe (for me anyway) but mich like when people used to say to me as a teenager sometimes 'xxxx is bigger than you' about someone similar age to me. Theyceere quite right, but I had clearly more muscle on my smaller frame - they just had a bigger frame.
So back to Stallone, I note this was around the time he was caught with gh in Australia. Is it the gh look, yes I think it is but it could also be hiwchis body has aged in combination. Still, much better in moat ways than your average 70 plus guy obviously, but then, I would eadily prefer a Jack Lalanne healthy look myself.
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Post by chanduthemagician on Jul 31, 2019 17:22:56 GMT
Of all of the anabolics, GH probably requires the most care. It causes EVERYTHING to grow. So you want a bigger liver, heart, spleen, have at the GH.
Look at all of today's 300+ muscle men with the large distended abdomen. That's GH for you.
Stallone had a nice build in Rocky. I can't remember if he had gotten on the drugs for Rocky II or if he was still more natural looking.
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stuke
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Post by stuke on Jul 31, 2019 17:33:04 GMT
Of all of the anabolics, GH probably requires the most care. It causes EVERYTHING to grow. So you want a bigger liver, heart, spleen, have at the GH. Look at all of today's 300+ muscle men with the large distended abdomen. That's GH for you. Stallone had a nice build in Rocky. I can't remember if he had gotten on the drugs for Rocky II or if he was still more natural looking. Even in Rocky 3 and 4 he looked good, no doubt using but not this blocky, everything big look. |
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