4 Tips To Staying In Shape After 50

Getting older doesn’t have to mean that you can’t have a lean, defined and strong physique that you can be proud of. It just means that you have to accept that you need to do things a bit differently to when you were younger. What you lose in some areas you make up for in others, as your training experience will help you choose the right training methods to help you stay lean and healthy the older you get.

1. Choose the correct mindset

If you’re an older guy still approaching workouts as if you were in your 20s, you’re destined to fail. And if you’re young and already tired of tweaking joints and muscles, things can only get worse without drastic change. Everyone can gain from making positive mental adjustments. Try and focus on full-body moves, think of Crossfit, with exercises that focus on using a wider range of muscle groups. Also set a limit on your training times so aim to do a more intensive workout that doesn’t go over 45 mins. That’s plenty of time to work your body hard and reap the rewards without overdoing it.

2. Identify the weaknesses

The biggest threat to staying fit comes from inside your body. Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass, erases 3-8% of your muscle mass each decade starting in your 30s. However, you can also fight back. Focus on more free weight exercises such as ones that involve the use of dumbbells, kettlebells and resistance bands. Not only do they put less strain on your body but you can still build a strong, lean physique without needing to use a lot of equipment.

3. Easy doesn’t have to be boring

Little, straight forward exercises are the ones that keep you healthy. Subtle exercises make a world of difference for injury prevention, superior conditioning, and max performance. Exercises such as the elevated hip bridge hold, plank variations and resistance band pull-apart are great options for your workouts that add a ton of health benefits. As long as you are doing effective exercises that aren’t overly complex you are heading in the right direction.

4. Focus on the classics

Build muscle and stay healthy by relying on safe movements and leaving out the riskier ones that you really don’t need to be doing. Romanian deadlift, floor press and hollow hold are just some of the exercises you should be including in your workouts to help build a health and injury-free physique you can be proud of. Cleans, presses, lunges among others, are types of exercises that never go out of style and always involve multiple muscle groups and are highly effective.