Are you having to weight train to maintain upper body

[Pete]

I was always a big believer in lots of exercise. As those around me have gotten older I've been amazed at how functional they are after having abused their bodies with alcohol, cigarettes, poor eating, and lack of activity. I figured I've been overdoing it, backed down, and found I can maintain and feel great without inconveniencing myself.

I've learned the 4 basics to be strength, cardio, flexibility, and balance.

I do push ups on the counter while I wait for my food to cook or the water to get warm in the shower, etc. I put in a pull up bar on my bedroom door and do pull ups anytime I pass under it. I stretch and do balance work while I watch the sprinklers or TV. And since retiring, there's time to walk and bike anywhere I need to go.

Not much equipment needed and it can be done anywhere. There are plenty of good resources out there to help tailor a program of fun and easy things to do.

 

[happy2bretired]

I do push ups on the counter while I wait for my food to cook or the water to get warm in the shower, etc. I put in a pull up bar on my bedroom door and do pull ups anytime I pass under it. I stretch and do balance work while I watch the sprinklers or TV. And since retiring, there's time to walk and bike anywhere I need to go.

Not much equipment needed and it can be done anywhere. There are plenty of good resources out there to help tailor a program of fun and easy things to do.

Try doing squats (I hope that's what it's called) when unloading the dishwasher instead of just bending down...

 

[Alan]

Try doing squats (I hope that's what it's called) when unloading the dishwasher instead of just bending down...

A few years ago someone showed me an article on how extremely effective squats are for lower body strength and heart health.

 

[Katsmeow]

I returned to strength training today after having stopped a few years ago. I was appalled at how weak I had become. It had been suggested that I do chest presses (on machine) at 30-40 pounds, 20 reps. This ended up as 10 pounds! Some of the others weren't so bad but I found that my upper body strength was really non-existent. Lower body was bad, but better.

 

[audreyh1]

At my peak strength training with a trainer I was doing two times a week, and made tremendous progress. But I was also doing 3 sets of each exercise!

Rest time is critical for serious strength training. Muscles need time to recover and heal in order to get stronger, so there are real benefits to the waiting part.

I'm not surprised twice a week is almost as good as 3x.

Now if you do "split sessions" - upper body on a different day from lower, for example, you should do 4 times a week.

Audrey

 

[audreyh1]

Most of my weight lifting is for upper body, I presume the elliptical/cardio I do is sufficient for the legs. Not sure if that's totally true or not, but it seems to be.

Not for me! There are huge benefits for lunges, squats (or leg press) and dead-lifts and the occasional calf-raises that elliptical doesn't put enough stress on the body. You need both.

Just my opinion. I do a lot of walking and some cycling and walking seems to keep my calves really toned, but I feel tremendous additional benefit from lower body weight training. Specially for us ladies and keeping our hip bones strong.

Audrey

 

[TromboneAl]

Here are the graphs related to number of sessions/week:



and number of sets:

 

[barker]

thx for posting those. Looks like 1 set and 2x/week really does the majority of what you gain with weight lifting.

 

[igsoy]

I could be remembering wrong, but I could swear that heavy squats and deadlifts since they use the largest muscles in your body, release the most HGH into your system which actually is helpful to your upper body efforts, as well.

To the OP who had the high boredom factor, you may want to try some kettlebell training which uses the weights in a more functional, core inclusive way rather than isolating each movement like a bodybuilder would:

This is just a brief example, you can find many more videos on youtube.
start watching at 2:33 to cut past all the talking.

YouTube - Cruel & Unusual 2 Kettlebell Training & Kettlebell Lifting

 

[Zoocat]

Weight training is incredibly important! I had an experience recently that made me so glad that I started weight training in 2000. In Feb I slipped on ice and fell hard on the sidewalk. I fell on my hip and side. It hurt, but I got up immediately and walked away from it with no injury. Not only that! I walked away with no soreness, no bruising either! I attribute it to the layer of muscle I have built over my hip area. It helped that I have a layer of fat too.

I started weight training in 2000 doing the Body for Life program. But really it is easy to do at home with a set of adjustable dumb bells or even using body weight exercises.

I am not a fit looking person, weighing 175 at 5'5" but I have a lot of muscle and I do not have any trace of osteoporosis at age 60. Weight training is good for bone health!

 

[ScottFromUtah]

I've read a lot of the research on strength training, and my conclusion is that one set is almost as good as three, and two sessions a week is almost as good as three. So I do one set (sometimes I sneek in an extra set) of each exercise, twice per week.

The research also shows that strength training is the best antidote for fraility among senior citizens. In fact, strength training among those 80+ years olds helps them gain more physical independence and self-sufficiency through greater mobility.

 

[toofrugalformycat]

It is incredibly liberating for a woman of a certain age to be able to easily lift a maxed out carry on case into the overhead bin, and after the flight, remove it without accidentally decapitating anyone. Also, it takes muscle to stand up and walk straight all the time. Slumping makes you look older than you are. For this, I must do regular weight training.

 

[TromboneAl]

Here's an indication of how my strength has changed over time:

IOW, there was a rapid increase in the first months, followed by a plateau, and now, after two years some more gains. Sept '09 is when I started going low-carb. I lost 4.5 pounds (168 to 163.5), so that weight loss could explain that recent gain.

Analysis of other exercises, such as bench presses, is complicated by the fact that I've changed the amount of weight, and also, I can't push myself to complete exhaustion without worrying about dropping the dumbbells or being unable to lower the weights and get up from the bench.
​

 

[Zoocat]

It is incredibly liberating for a woman of a certain age to be able to easily lift a maxed out carry on case into the overhead bin, and after the flight, remove it without accidentally decapitating anyone. Also, it takes muscle to stand up and walk straight all the time. Slumping makes you look older than you are. For this, I must do regular weight training.

Yes! Functional fitness is another reason to do the weight training. Many times nice people have offered me their help to lift "heavy" things and were surprised to see me go ahead and lift it effortlessly.

 

[mountaintosea]

Google Jack La Lane. He's now 95. He trains 2 hours a day I believe.

 

[toofrugalformycat]

Yes! Functional fitness is another reason to do the weight training. Many times nice people have offered me their help to lift "heavy" things and were surprised to see me go ahead and lift it effortlessly.

I love showing those young whippersnappers a thing or two!

 

[W2R]

I love showing those young whippersnappers a thing or two!

Yes, me too! When I was still working, I used to love offering to help young co-workers in loading heavy boxes of books, reports, or files onto and off of a cart, if someone was moving from one cubicle to another. Nobody ever took me up on it, but I loved seeing the looks of horror on their faces at the mere thought of it.

 

[Moemg]

I never needed to strenth train when I was working since I was constantly lifting things but since retiring I've made a consious effort to stay mobile . Like Orchid Flower I swim with resistance gloves and they really work . I also work out with water dumbells and do kick boxing !

 

[ScottFromUtah]

Here are the graphs related to number of sessions/week:

View attachment 9206

and number of sets:

View attachment 9207

I didn't look at these charts carefully before I made my previous post. It appears that lifting 3x/week is only slightly better thatn 2x/week. It also appears that doing more than one set of each exercise produces little or no benefit.

Conclusion: I'll stick with doing one set of each exercise, twice weekly.

 

[jacob]

Recovery time gets longer with age. This means it's harder to train at elite levels. Muscle and bone mass goes down with disuse, not age. Many start slacking right out of college. For some reason there is a gender difference which makes women train with weights which are far lighter than they should be much to their detriment.
Max VO2 also goes down with age, which is why you're in the Master's class in cycling once you hit 32 years old. Stamina actually tends to go up, so ultramarathon winners are sometimes in their 40s rather than their 20s.

 

[TromboneAl]

If I had always done weight training, from age 20 on, do you think I'd have more muscle mass now (at age 56)?

 

[toofrugalformycat]

If I had always done weight training, from age 20 on, do you think I'd have more muscle mass now (at age 56)?

I don't know the answer to this - but there was a magnificent display in the museum in Dublin of prehistoric times. They showed the actual leg bone of a woman who (they presumed) had ground corn by rolling a rock repeatedly in a stone bowl. The bone had large bumps where the tendons attached, from the constant repetitive use from an early age. My take home lesson was that our bodies are capable of so much more physically than we modern humans ever achieve, because we sit around so much when young. Of course you could ask someone with an MD for a more credentialed answer!

 

[Danmar]

Weight train every other day and I clearly notice the difference.

Me, I'm convinced the single biggest thing I can do to enjoy my later years (early 50's now) is to maintain a consistent exercise program that includes weights. While diet is important: it is nothing without daily exercise IMH, but uneducated, O.

Agree. I read somewhere that erobic exercise with extend your life but weight training will improve its quality. Healthy weight is also very important though.

 

[ScottFromUtah]

If I had always done weight training, from age 20 on, do you think I'd have more muscle mass now (at age 56)?

The long-term effects of weight training are hard to study, and I don't know of any published study on the matter. I do know about the famous Dallas Bed Rest study, which showed that 20-year-olds put on bed rest for 3 weeks had the fitness level below that of a typical 50-year-old, and that 50-year-olds put on an 8-week exercise program had the fitness of a typical 20-year-old. The data gathered were % body fat and VO2max.

I believe that the same thing applies to strength: Levels of muscle mass are really dependent upon what you've done over the past few months and not such much what you've done over you lifetime.

 

[kramer]

I did not used to weight train but I have added it to my repertoire nowadays. Before I only ran but I have added light weights after my running workout (I only run every other day). I only started doing it about 7 weeks ago and it already has made a visible difference. I live near a huge park and there is a 400 meter track there. There is an outside area with some jungle jim type bars and some free weights.

After my running workout, I rest for about 5 minutes and then just do various exercises for about 15-20 minutes (pull-ups, lifting a few hand weights, push ups, leg bends moving feet from vertical to horizontal). I usually rest about 2 minutes between each exercise. This is in Medellin, Colombia. It is amazing how good of shape some of the guys are there, all doing smart exercises with limited equipment.

I am still much more serious about running than muscle workouts, I typically run 5 kilometers in my track workout at about a 23:00 pace (this is at 1500 meters elevation so that is about 21:30 at sea level). But I would not give up the weight stuff now, I do enjoy it and the difference was quickly visible. Also, it does not take that much time, as little as 15 minutes can make a difference. I can recommend it!

Kramer