Athletic performance in your 40s?

[The AD]

Used weight equipment is pretty easy to come by. Lots of people willing to unload it for cheap because they realize they aren't using it and it's just taking up space.

[funkendrenchman]

Thx for the link



BTW, is there anyone reading this thread who drinks sugar based soda? I’m not being snarky; I just don’t know any mildly or very active people in Tahoe who smoke cigs or drink soda.

Yep. I drink probably 32 oz/week. No cigs, no alcohol. Also bike, ski, run, 1-1.5 hours on average 6 days/week (not counting lift served hours).

[XXX-er]

You guys are making me prioritize the weight setup I’ve been procrastinating on and know I need. I will likely lift only once a week and not sure heavy. What should I buy for a rack bench and bar? I’m a cheap bastard but want ship that won’t break.

I joined the gym cuz there might be a litttle more motivation there, its only 2 blocks and I need that stuff to rehab the knee

[californiagrown]

good stuff all. i've been on again/off again w my strength training the last few years coinciding w some chronic shoulder issues. i'm back on again but gonna try and go w 2 full body workouts/week. this is coupled w 2-3 days of skiing/biking/trail running and some stretching/yoga in the evenings. anyone want to critique this routine? i'm mainly just looking to "maintain" and keep some weights in my life. i think my main question is if there's enough volume in here. (late 40's using a home gym)

A:
5-10 min warm up
barbell back squat - warm up set then 4 sets of heavier weight 6-8 reps.
barbell bench -same as above.
rev grip barbell rows - same as above
about 6-8 band exercises focusing on my shoulders-this seemed to help w my initial shoulder issues and have kept it in the routine.
dumbbell stiff leg deadlift - 10-12 reps for 2 sets
5-10 min cool down/stretch

B:
warm up
trap bar deadlift - warm up plus 3 sets 6-8 w heavy weight.
dumbbell floor press - warm up plus 3 sets of 8-12. feels better for shoulders than normal dumbbell bench.
dumbbell supported row - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
arnold press - 3 sets 8-12 reps.
dumbbell lunge - 2 sets 8-12 reps.
cool down

2 minutes rest in between heavy weights and 60-90 sec for the higher rep stuff. i've done 3 and 4 day workouts in the past and would rather gain some extra time for outdoor rec and/or yoga/stretching so...
appreciate any thoughts.

I typically have very limited time for workouts, which is why i have a home gym setup in my garage. I too have bad shoulders including one that would be a good candidate for replacement if i wasnt so young (says 2 separate orthos). Personally, i find that if i try and cram too many exercises into a workout i do not prehab and warmup properly and end up hurting myself with nagging strains or rushing through exercises. Instead i find that i do better when i do a push/pull/legs split 6 days per week, but only for 30-40 mins. I prioritize the warmup/prehab/mobility and dont mind if i only get 1-2 compound exercises in that day... as long as its quality movement. I prioritize quality movement over quantity or intensity as its rare the stars align these days where my body is feeling good enough, and i am in good enough baseline shape to really push it hard in the gym. Im just trying to milk what i have for as long as i can so keeping a long view is important. Motion is lotion so even if i just get through my mobility/prehab/warmup and then do some quick abs or something, it is time very well spent IMO.

[jackstraw]

Old farts don't need a lot of weights. A few/handfull of dumbells will keep you fit Push-ups, pull-ups, wall squats, etc work well and dumbells for squats, shoulder shrugs, curls, etc.

[concretejungle]

Old farts don't need a lot of weights. A few/handfull of dumbells will keep you fit Push-ups, pull-ups, wall squats, etc work well and dumbells for squats, shoulder shrugs, curls, etc.

Other than the fact that there are numerous studies stating that “older” people should lift heavy weight?

[jackstraw]

Other than the fact that there are numerous studies stating that “older” people should lift heavy weight?

Yeah. Lift heavy and get hurt. Makes sense.

Edit- heavy to me may be light to you, so the "heavy" statement in those studies needs to be defined and maybe it is. I use 25lb dumbells and could use heavier in a few exercises. I also have a universal at work for a couple things.

[climberevan]

Yeah. Lift heavy and get hurt. Makes sense.

Edit- heavy to me may be light to you, so the "heavy" statement in those studies needs to be defined and maybe it is. I use 25lb dumbells and could use heavier in a few exercises. I also have a universal at work for a couple things.

"Heavy" in the studies means heavy for you. I.E. an amount you can only lift 6-7 times to failure. Unless you're pretty weak, 25# is unlikely too be enough for any movement.

Doing a whole lot of lower weight lifting does not build strength or stimulate hypertrophy or bone density, which are the things we need as we age.

Lifting heavy does not mean getting hurt. Injuries come from poor technique.

[ironhippy]

You can't just tell untrained people (untrained as in have never lifted heavy) who are older than 35 to just lift heavy. You need to work up to it and learn proper form, etc. etc.

I believe the studies are in the 6 - 8 rep range stated above. I believe the idea is the stress pushes fresh blood throughout your body.
Doing deadlifts until you feel faint is a lot different of a feeling than using 25 lb barbells.

The BMI is useful (but probably not ideal) when considering lifespan. If you are carrying an extra 30 lbs of muscle, that's still an extra 30 lbs on your heart and and other organs. Of course it's better than 30 extra lbs of fat, but still isn't ideal if your goal is health.

[J. Barron DeJong]

You can't just tell untrained people (untrained as in have never lifted heavy) who are older than 35 to just lift heavy. You need to work up to it and learn proper form, etc. etc.

I believe the studies are in the 6 - 8 rep range stated above. I believe the idea is the stress pushes fresh blood throughout your body.
Doing deadlifts until you feel faint is a lot different of a feeling than using 25 lb barbells.

The BMI is useful (but probably not ideal) when considering lifespan. If you are carrying an extra 30 lbs of muscle, that's still an extra 30 lbs on your heart and and other organs. Of course it's better than 30 extra lbs of fat, but still isn't ideal if your goal is health.

Anyone care to speculate what some good strength targets would be, for both health and athletic performance? (Skiing and cycling specifically).

Had my trap bar deadlift up to 290 last summer (sets of five), which seems ok for a thin 6’4” 175 lb. Benefits in going higher? Risks? (I’m my mid 40’s.)

[Dantheman]

You can't just tell untrained people (untrained as in have never lifted heavy) who are older than 35 to just lift heavy.

Sure you can. Leg press, Smith machine, pushups, pull-ups, dips are all pretty safe and non-technical.

I believe the idea is the stress pushes fresh blood throughout your body.

No, that is not how strength adaptation works.

The BMI is useful (but probably not ideal) when considering lifespan. If you are carrying an extra 30 lbs of muscle, that's still an extra 30 lbs on your heart and and other organs. Of course it's better than 30 extra lbs of fat, but still isn't ideal if your goal is health.

It's basically impossible to have a 30+ BMI and low body fat without steroids.

[shroom]

Anyone care to speculate what some good strength targets would be, for both health and athletic performance? (Skiing and cycling specifically).

Had my trap bar deadlift up to 290 last summer (sets of five), which seems ok for a thin 6’4” 175 lb. Benefits in going higher? Risks? (I’m my mid 40’s.)

if you can calf press the rack you can ski the red skis


i don’t think you can comp many lifts; it’s more relative strength and endurance in my experience. i’d say go for like 1.0-5x body weight for higher reps on the big 3 and otherwise focus on core strength, balance, mobility and cardio endurance.

if distance cycling and walking up is the goal, you can’t Train for Alaska imo.

[billyk]

Several experts have posted in this thread, and I’ve learned some things which I do appreciate. One thing I haven’t seen mentioned much, though, is the importance of lifting to failure, if you want to stimulate muscle growth. Which means you don’t stop just because you finish a certain number of reps, you stop when you can’t possibly continue given max effort. You get there by either increasing reps or increasing weight, but generally a smaller number of reps with a heavier weight seems to be more effective. Anyway, that’s what I’ve been led to believe, so feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.

And, of the amino acids that compose protein, the ones that specifically target muscle growth are the “branched chain amino acids”. So if you are going to drink a protein shake after working out, you might add a teaspoon of BCAA to the mix.

Another thing to consider is you don’t really need to look like Charles Atlas to ski or play golf. In fact, massive biceps might just get in the way and be extra weight to carry around. So consider what your goals are.

[bodywhomper]

Whatever happened to leg blasters?

I blew my knee again skiing last weekend. Wearing a donjoy hinged knee brace. Landing/stomping a small jump. Swollen now. Similar failure I experienced a few times this season, but more severe. Physiatrist diagnosed poor abductors. I guess I wasn’t doing enough focused exercises. I haven’t been to a gym since March 2020.

[ironhippy]

Sure you can. Leg press, Smith machine, pushups, pull-ups, dips are all pretty safe and non-technical.

And those all can injure people, especially people who are older than 35 and have no experience going "heavy".
I agree you are less likely to get injured with certain exercises, but advising people who have no experience to go heavy is irresponsible in my opinion. All I am saying is learn from someone who knows what they are doing and do reasonable build ups, don't just go to the gym and try to max out.

I've personally torn a tricep doing dips and I was younger than 35.

No, that is not how strength adaptation works.

I'm not talking about strength adaptation.
https://healthland.time.com/2012/07/...r-brain-sharp/

This specifically talks about brain changes due to heavy lifting. I'm probably wrong either way, I was just theorizing as to why lifting heavy may help with brain problems as we age.

It's basically impossible to have a 30+ BMI and low body fat without steroids.

I'd agree with this. However I've met plenty of people with extra muscle who claimed they've never touched steroids (even if it's obviously a lie).
Still doesn't mean it's healthy, I'm just using generalizations.

[ironhippy]

Anyone care to speculate what some good strength targets would be, for both health and athletic performance? (Skiing and cycling specifically).

Had my trap bar deadlift up to 290 last summer (sets of five), which seems ok for a thin 6’4” 175 lb. Benefits in going higher? Risks? (I’m my mid 40’s.)

there are a number of charts out there that will detail this, here's one for deadlifts



This details levels for strength sports though. If you are in the intermediate range that is most likely more than good enough for an endurance athlete.

I am in between intermediate and advanced and I generally am not trying to increase my max numbers. My goal is endurance/health, being much stronger won't really help with that and the training time and energy would take away from time and energy that I can be putting towards my goals.

[Hopeless Sinner]

Whatever happened to leg blasters?

I blew my knee again skiing last weekend. Wearing a donjoy hinged knee brace. Landing/stomping a small jump. Swollen now. Similar failure I experienced a few times this season, but more severe. Physiatrist diagnosed poor abductors. I guess I wasn’t doing enough focused exercises. I haven’t been to a gym since March 2020.

I do the leg blasters preseason under supervision of a trainer in October and November, starting w 2-3 sets of mini's and gradually work up to 10 sets of full. Once the season starts no more blasters. Perhaps on a shaky knee one might want to start earlier than that w the individual movements as a base to get into the mini's.

[ironhippy]

Several experts have posted in this thread, and I’ve learned some things which I do appreciate. One thing I haven’t seen mentioned much, though, is the importance of lifting to failure, if you want to stimulate muscle growth. Which means you don’t stop just because you finish a certain number of reps, you stop when you can’t possibly continue given max effort. You get there by either increasing reps or increasing weight, but generally a smaller number of reps with a heavier weight seems to be more effective. Anyway, that’s what I’ve been led to believe, so feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.
....
Another thing to consider is you don’t really need to look like Charles Atlas to ski or play golf. In fact, massive biceps might just get in the way and be extra weight to carry around. So consider what your goals are.

i agree with what you state about weights

I will say, especially if you are in your 40s', you have very little chance of developing huge biceps unless you are very focused on that goal (or have incredible genetics).

When you are in your early 20s, muscle can pack on pretty quick. When you're in your 40s you have to do everything you can from losing it.

[Mofro261]

Lift light and get the benefits of heavy with blood flow restriction training. I did a full course with a PT after an ACL repair, a few yrs ago 80% venous occlusion and only 20-60% 1 rep max. Absolutely worked for me to return to sports within 6mos.

Seemed like it would be ideal for older adults for increasing muscle mass and strength while decreasing potential injury.

Just don't over do it too long, you will get more sore than your heaviest lift days.

[jackstraw]

I've had a few docs tell me not to do certain things, like overhead presses and definitely no jumping on my knees. Even push-ups are questionable for your shoulders. And just holding heavier weights can tweak your hands. I never really lifted weights, just skied, mtn bike, and ran. I definitely prefer a lot of reps with lighter weights, but I get what people are saying about heavy. I'll give it a whirl with some exercises.

[Trackhead]

Lifting throughout your life, and as you age, in my opinion, should be about functional strength and avoiding injury. Tweaking the “Bro Science” might net a 1% gain that probably won’t do shit for real outcomes. Just do a lot of everything and not a lot of any one thing, move your body consistently, the rest is fluff. Aesthetics means shit. Functional joints/tendons/ligaments/intervertebral discs that aren’t trashed from some moronic mid-life crisis workout routine are important. Just move, and have fun doing it.

I’m sure many will disagree.

[J. Barron DeJong]

I've had a few docs tell me not to do certain things, like overhead presses and definitely no jumping on my knees. Even push-ups are questionable for your shoulders. And just holding heavier weights can tweak your hands. I never really lifted weights, just skied, mtn bike, and ran. I definitely prefer a lot of reps with lighter weights, but I get what people are saying about heavy. I'll give it a whirl with some exercises.

Doing some lifting - and not anything serious here, just stuff at home with minimal equipment - definitely helped with my skiing and biking.

But…. I was always skinny, don’t seem to gain much muscle from just regular exercise, so maybe I’m atypical.

Regarding shoulders: since high school my right shoulder always felt a touch ‘grindy’ when throwing. It went away when I started lifting at 40 (but I don’t do overhear presses). Probably should have consulted someone first to see if I was going to damage myself, but it worked out well for me.

[californiagrown]

Several experts have posted in this thread, and I’ve learned some things which I do appreciate. One thing I haven’t seen mentioned much, though, is the importance of lifting to failure, if you want to stimulate muscle growth. Which means you don’t stop just because you finish a certain number of reps, you stop when you can’t possibly continue given max effort. You get there by either increasing reps or increasing weight, but generally a smaller number of reps with a heavier weight seems to be more effective. Anyway, that’s what I’ve been led to believe, so feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.

And, of the amino acids that compose protein, the ones that specifically target muscle growth are the “branched chain amino acids”. So if you are going to drink a protein shake after working out, you might add a teaspoon of BCAA to the mix.

Another thing to consider is you don’t really need to look like Charles Atlas to ski or play golf. In fact, massive biceps might just get in the way and be extra weight to carry around. So consider what your goals are.

Lifting to failure is BS. same results going to 2ish reps short of failure gets same results, less risk, better recovery. Though, many folks don't actually know what muscle failure feels like. Progressive overload is what gets you bigger/stronger... So increasing the weight you use at 2reps shy of failure is still progressive overload. The 2benefits of grinding to failure are (1) finding what your true max is to then calculate your working set percentages are, and (2) it "can" lead to stronger tendons/ligaments, though at the higher risk of injury.

BCAAs are kinda stupid unless you train fasted. Just getting enough protein throughout the day, week, month is far more important. Adding BCAAs to a protein shake is very stupid. EAAs are a better option than BCAAs too, and I'd suggest using them if you train fasted in the morning, or if you have a big day in the mountains and want something to add to your electrolyte/carb drink during the day to help with recovery.

No one has ever gained too much muscle accidentally. It takes a lot of work and effort to gain small amounts of muscle, and all you ever have to do to stop putting on muscle is keep weights/reps the same, or cut back on calories. It's pretty simple.

Basically, everything you said i

[californiagrown]

I've had a few docs tell me not to do certain things, like overhead presses and definitely no jumping on my knees. Even push-ups are questionable for your shoulders. And just holding heavier weights can tweak your hands. I never really lifted weights, just skied, mtn bike, and ran. I definitely prefer a lot of reps with lighter weights, but I get what people are saying about heavy. I'll give it a whirl with some exercises.

Depends on you personally. I have a horrific shoulder (labral, and capsule tears with advanced arthritis) and overhead barbell pressing keeps my shoulder functional. When I stop overhead pressing my shoulder gets significantly worse.

Basically, do what helps, stop doing what hurts.

[Dantheman]

Anyone care to speculate what some good strength targets would be, for both health and athletic performance? (Skiing and cycling specifically).

https://hubermanlab.com/dr-andy-galp...-your-fitness/

Andy Galpin has forgotten more about lifting and exercise physiology than everyone posting in this thread currently knows, combined, myself very much included. Listen to Andy.