Posts Tagged ‘Baby Boomer’

Slow Progression

Thursday, August 20th, 2009


Start where you are with your current fitness level and build your endurance and strength slowly. The early stages of getting fit requires that you learn the exercises. This is especially important if you have some old injuries that may need special modifications before you can increase your workout intensity.

One of the best things you can do after you learn the exrcises is to challenge your muscuar conditioning  by combining exercises to do super, tri, monster and giant sets. Why do just one set of an exercise when you can do two, three, four or even five.

In the video above my client was advised to get shoulder surgery. He also had knee surgery years ago. When he first started exercising he was about 40 pounds heavier, got winded quickly and had to use machine exclusively. The exercises he demonstrates requires shoulder strength and stability. His knees support him without any difficulty when performing a free form back exercise and a cable chest exercises in a lunge position.

His doctors would be amazed!

Strength Training Over 50

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

Strength training is an integral part of staying healthy and strong over age 50.

As you approach your retirement years strength training becomes an investment. An investment that pays very high dividends.

Strength training will help you maintain a high degree of physical functioning. It will also protect your bones and ease the stress on your joints. Strength training also helps you fight the accumulation on excess body fat by increasing the metabolic activity in your muscles to burn more calories.

Your exercise program must include some strength training to be considered complete.

Men and women over 50 with exercise experience who have a good understanding of proper weight lifting technique are well advised to increase the intensity of their strength training sessions. This does not mean lifting heavy beyond what you can control. It’s all about progressing slowly to a higher level of performance.

In the video below you will see a demonstration of an advanced strength training exercise called a super set. You lift for a number of reps and immediately go to another exercise for the same muscle to perform a second exercise. This requires strength and endurance. At an advanced level it is performed with a weight close to or greater than your bodyweight.

Baby Boomer Strength Training

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

In the video below my client is demonstrating a basic seated dumbell bicep curl and alternating dumbell overhead press. These exercises are being performed as an extended set. She performs one exercise that leads right into another without stopping.

Performing the exercises is this manner will keep you working longer to not only strengthen the muscles at work but also create more endurance throughout your entire body. You can add as many exercises as you can handle with good form for a more challenging strength circuit workout.

The key is to make sure the weight is not so heavy that you risk injury to your joints.