The process of aging brings about changes to our bodies over the years. When you were young your body was spongy, springy, and supple. You were able to jump out of a tree without a second thought, do summer-saults, and jump into the air to catch a ball. You could fall down without breaking a bone and run until sunset.
Things are different now. You’re conscious of every step you take and the weight of everything you lift. You bruise and break easier. A three-mile run? Very doubtful. You have scars to prove past injuries and your body shows all of the signs of dealing with a lifetime of hard work and the effects of gravity.
Now that the children are raised you’ve decided to regain lost strength and get back into shape. You can’t do it like you did when you were young without incurring injury. Your tendons and ligaments don’t stretch like they used to. Hard work and gravity have caused your spinal discs to become much less supple and your muscles won’t respond to stress like they used to. Not to mention that your digestive system doesn’t work as efficiently as in the past making recovery from workouts more taxing and time consuming.
None of the above should thwart you from getting back into shape. Allowances for nearly every circumstance can be made to make your workout productive. Before you start lifting weights after 40 years old talk to your coach and let him know about any shortcomings you’re dealing with. Can’t lift overhead because of a shoulder injury? There is a workaround. Can’t squat because of sore knees or weak leg muscles? There’s a workaround. Can’t lift 20 pounds from the floor? Lift 10 pounds.
The “workarounds” mentioned above are the easy problems for a good coach to solve. However, the workout frequency, volume, intensity, rest between sets and rest between days of workouts are another thing entirely and must be closely monitored.
In most cases a three day per week workout schedule will work well for anyone over 40 but only for a short time, after which the schedule must be changed to accommodate the demand for recovery. Total exhaustion from a poorly planned workout schedule must be avoided. This is where knowledge of how to safely reach your goal pays off.
I am all for anyone wanting to get stronger and fit after 40 and I train specifically for this class of people. Just be mindful of your age. With age comes limitations. Know what your limitations are and how to deal with them.
Bob Baker, Three 5’s Barbell Strength Training Gmail; [email protected] Tel; 419-277 6581
