Posts Tagged ‘Barbell Squats’

Power Squats Over 50

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

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Now it’s time to get serious.

If you are interested in building a rock solid, age defying, muscular, strong body, this message is for you.

The squat is a no joke exercise. You must respect this exercise or you can be seriously injured. Take your time to learn the correct form. Build your upper back, lower back, quads, hamstrings, abs and calf muscles so that all the links in the chain is strong. You should also have a decent level of balance and flexibility. It would also help to have good cardiovascular conditioning.Your body uses oxygen more efficiently when your cardiovascular endurance is in a good range.

Many strength training exercisers avoid this exercise because they have been injured doing it.  Many are also intimidated by this exercise because they know someone who has been hurt doing it.

I want to be clear. Please be patient when approaching the barbell squats. Start with a weight that is not too challenging and work slowly to increase it.

The demonstration in the video below is with a weight that is a little more than twice my body weight. The total weight is 365 pounds. This is comfortable for me because I stop before I reach failure. This weight is just right for me to stay safe. If I was to go up in the weight I would wrap my knees and have someone with experience spotting me.

Build Stronger Bones

Saturday, May 16th, 2009

Our ability to stand erect as we get older will require that we build stronger bones. Think of bones as the structure or frame of your house. If  the structure is weak your house may collapse.

To maintain good posture, stand tall, walk briskly and slow the age related decrease in height,  it is critical that we build bone strength on a regular basis. One of the best exercises to preserve and build bone strength is walking.  If you are a regular walker and your fitness level is above average it is a good idea to add strength building or weight lifting exercises to your routine.

Some of the best exercises  for you to do would be barbell squats, deadlifts, barbell rows or leg presses if you are a beginner. These types of exercises would utilize the largest muscles and bones in your body maximizing your results.

If you are not familiar with working out with barbells (free weights) please get some instructions from a knowledgeable professional.  Always use common sense when training to prevent injury. Do not push to the limit if you are just starting out.

Here is a video demonstrating the Barbell Squat