I don’t know about you but I don’t feel (thankfully) like a 53 year old. I’m probably around the late 20s/early 30s in my head!
But I get little signs that I’m no longer that age – like having to warm up for longer on a run. Or feeling tightness around my hips, for example.
I guess it’s the industry I work in, that I have this awareness of my body and how it responds. I know when something is feeling good, or bad. When I need to fix something and can sense a problem. But what about someone who lacks this sensibility?
Imagine a 50 year old whose life has been swamped by family and work for some time and they decide to return to “what worked” when they were 25. HIIT classes are a perfect example.
That’s a recipe for disaster. Something is going to ‘pop’! With this in mind:
Here are my top 5 mistakes that we see being made …..
(1) Too Much High Intensity Cardio.
Firstly – I LOVE cardio. I love the endorphin release it provides. But the typical HIIT class (one size fits all), bouncing around, twisting, turning, under fatigue, no time to reset the body – ESPECIALLY if someone lacks proper strength to deal with these forces – is probably going to end up with injury.
Secondly, being “smashed” in a session is ok when you’re 25 (remember? When we could all avoid hangovers too!!). But after 50, less is more. It’s about quality, safe, supervised movement, hopefully with weights to strengthen the body.
(2) Not Lifting Heavy Enough
Where do we start with this one? 🙂 A remnant of Jane Fonda videos, the 80s “feel the burn”, using light weights, hundreds of times. The idea that “high reps burn fat”. All misguided of course. Unfortunately, it means that people are afraid of lifting loads that seem ‘heavy’. Real time example: a 10kg dumbbell is a big no-no, yet the weekly shop weighs 15kg!!??
Over 50, you need strong bones, muscles, tendons and cartilage that can deal with life’s challenges: lifting kids/grandkids, shifting stuff in the garden, reaching for shopping in the car boot. And the balance and co-ordination to avoid falls (often forgotten about). What you need is a challenging load that kicks in and makes you grind your teeth after 8 repetitions — not 150!
(3) Ignoring Mobility Work
Who cared about mobility at 25? Nope, me neither. But after 50, we have to mobilise the joints before exercise. Strength training with proper range of movement assists mobility too. I’ll circle back to me understanding my body and how it feels. If I sense something is feeling tight or not moving as it should, I’ll work on that until it goes. It usually fixes any issues.
I know people live with “bad backs” and “dodgy shoulders” and “shot knees” – whilst ignoring mobility AND strength in their lives. GP advice is usually ‘rest’ (my heart drops when I hear this). Rest = weakness.
(4) Skipping Recovery
Training 6 days a week was ok many moons ago. Anyone over 50 doing the same will probably end in disaster. Injury, fatigue, maybe even boredom. ‘Results’ are not made in the gym. They come from what happens OUTSIDE the gym. Yet, people have the idea that training harder to grind themselves out of a situation (like gradually putting on weight) will solve the problem.
“I need to do more”.
What you need is to be smarter. That’s 2-3 x 45 minute strength sessions each week should be central. Hydration, sleep, daily walking, somehow tracking (or being mindful) of food, maybe 1 or 2 (max) short cardio sessions will be your best bet. Bonus: put the phone away more!
(5) Random Online Workouts
It’s cheaper (BONUS!), will easier as you can train anytime you want at home (AMAZING!), you have the advice of a professional (BRILLIANT!). A recipe for success!! What more do you need??
But let’s return to the real world.
Training at home has too many distractions. TV, kids, phone, coffee, Amazon deliveries, the dog. But let’s be honest, it’s just boring doing squats in your living room after a week or two.
We are ALL experts in putting things off (especially fitness) with ‘things’. Home workouts, from experience, have a short shelf life.
Online workouts are also generic – one-size-fits-all. Cindy, your svelte 25 year old Californian model/trainer doesn’t know a thing about 55 year old Gladys and the weakness in her back. You can sense where this might end up!
Picking random workouts too, produces random results. Never mention the fact that people usually cherry pick the exercises they like, not they ones they need. I could go on – but I shall stop for the sake of my sanity. 🙂
Final point: After 40. Lift weights, safely and heavily. I can’t make that much clearer. 🙂