Fitness Decisions For The Older Guy

orca

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Greetings LPSG! Been browsing these forums, admiring (OK, getting distracted by) all of the fine looking guys here, and reading all of the tips for staying in shape. I’ve picked up a lot of great advice, but relatively little that’s angled more towards older men. So that’s what I’m asking about in this post.

I’m 53. I’ve never smoked, and I eat moderately and healthily (pescatarian diet.) I’m five-foot-nine, and weigh 140 pounds – so my BMI works out at 20.7, which I understand is right where it wants to be. And my fitness goals are modest:

- To invest sufficiently in strength/resistance exercises to help my bones and joints stay in good condition as I age;

- To lose some of the fat around my belly and waist. I feel great being at 140 lbs, but I’d love to have a flatter stomach, so some of those pounds need to get converted from fat into muscle.

I also need to respect my body’s age. I’ve had two hernias; they happened one after the other right after I turned 50. I'm fully recovered from the operations, but I know I need to be careful – more so than when I was younger.

What I’m doing right now is upper body weight exercises and cardio on alternating days:

Mon: 30 mins pushups and dumbbells, upper body only
Tues: 1 hour cycling (and yeah, I push myself hard and fast)
Weds: 30 mins weights
Thurs: 1 hr cycling

Rinse, repeat.

I’d love to mix things up, both to keep things interesting and to maximize the benefits of the time spent. And so, a couple of questions:

- What core strength / leg exercises could I include, without unduly straining my groin (which is clearly a weak spot)? I’ve actually been thinking about going to a physiotherapist or a personal trainer with this question, because there seems to be diddly squat online by way of reliable advice.

- Is it important to include cardio every day? If additional cardio, then what? I’m thinking of investing in a rowing machine as the days shorten and cycling is possible less often, but I’m open to suggestions. A cyclic trainer, perhaps?

Any feedback would be most welcome. Oh, and I should probably mention that the notion of exercising in public (aka ‘the gym’) gives me the heebie-jeebies, but I enjoy working out all on my ownsome, at home.

Thank you!

- orca
 

iamsam4x

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Hey Orca, we are the same age, and its a real battle to keep in shape.

Looks like you are doing everything right, so some advice from a PT or physio would be definitely helpful.

The only change I made once hitting 50 was to moderate carb intake, and cut out the remaining processed foods, but the results were worth it.

Sam
 
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You need to train with weights 3 or 4 days a week and for more than 30 minutes at a time. I’m 43 and never stronger.
 
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