Training with force or weights keeps the muscles ready for action. Flexibility exercises help you stay agile so we can have a full range of motion and prevent injuries. Balancing education becomes important for preventing falls and staying active after the age of 50.

Low-impact exercise that involves less jumping and punching is kinder to your joints. Some activities provide more than one type of exercise, so you get more of your training money. The key is to choose the things we enjoy doing. A doctor or physical therapist can suggest ways to adapt sports and exercises or better alternatives based on the limitations of any medical condition we have.

swimming

One study found that swimming about 4 to 8 km, three to five times a week, delayed the effects of aging for several decades. It's no surprise that athletes over the age of 50 flock to the pool for regular exercise.

Swimming is a comprehensive sport that promotes cardiovascular health and muscle elasticity and reduces stress. Every swimming stroke has its own benefits, and every water sport discipline is sure to improve aerobic activity and blood circulation. Water sports put less stress on the joints and bones of the body, making them ideal for seniors who want an effective, low-impact workout.

Weight lifting

Weightlifting may not be an obvious sporting choice for athletes over 50, but it is rapidly gaining popularity for this age group.

Fortunately, you don't need to be a competitive bodybuilder to enjoy the many benefits of strength training, including maintaining bone density and muscle mass. Weight lifting even helps seniors avoid slip and fall injuries, giving them a renewed sense of independence and self-sufficiency. You're never too old to start lifting weights, just start slowly and work with a licensed personal trainer.


Cycling

Cycling is surprisingly popular with those over 50. Between 1995 and 2009, cyclists in the 60-79 age group accounted for 37 percent of the total increase in cycling trips in the country.
The health benefits of cycling are well documented. If we are interested in sports, tourism companies plan cycling trips for cyclists over 50.

Yoga

No matter how athletic we are, over time the body slows down. Some more active sports may become less attractive or even impossible. A slower activity like yoga might be a great option at this point. But in reality, adding yoga to your routine at this time can have enormous benefits.

Yoga can increase flexibility, endurance, and concentration. It's also low impact making it perfect for a crowd of 50+ or ​​any audience.

Athletics declines with age

As you get older, your athletic ability will decline; In fact, it starts to decrease after the twenties. However, we also find that modern athletes continue to compete for longer than previously thought possible, adopting routines that take into account that they cannot do the training volume they did when they were younger.

By the time an athlete turns 50, optimal training for competitive weightlifting should include at least half of the work previously done. It's a common thing we see in bodybuilders, for example.


So even if you're a top-notch athlete, you need to take an approach that will help you recover and increase your mobility as you age. However, if you are a sports lover and you are starting out later in this world, no matter how many times someone repeats the benefits of strength training to you, you should be aware of the need for recovery and emphasize mobility.

Education advice after 50 years

Of course, we cannot catch up with a young person in training, but we are not disabled over the age of 50. It's never too late to start, so it's important to be clear about some tips to get the most out of your routine.

Lift heavy even if you're older

Tom MacCormick, a hypertrophy specialist from London, has identified 10 biomarkers of aging.

muscle mass and strength were the first two of these biomarkers. The higher their levels, the smaller the age-related decline. Fast twitch fibers are the first muscle fibers to shrink as we age. These are also the most positive things associated with strength, muscle mass, and blood sugar management, so it makes sense. train them for life.

So, as a beginner of a certain age, you don't need to try to set any world records for stimulating your fast-twitch fibers or risk injury with maximum loads. These fibers are fully activated with a load of about 1% of your maximum 85 reps. Performing challenging sets of 6 reps means each rep will activate your fast-twitch fibers.

You can include resistance training. Multi-joint movements support strength, power and muscle mass with a 6-10 repetition range. All this will have an "anti-aging" effect on your body.
When exercising over 50, you should pay more attention to how your body responds to the exercise you're doing and how you're feeling that day. Don't be so worried about what you're doing and don't fight your ego. We don't want injuries.

Be patient

The quality of the work is importantIn my opinion, the main problems with exercising after 50 are that progress tends to be significantly slower than for someone younger; and injuries take much longer to heal.

Therefore, emphasis should be placed on training consistency rather than intensity. It's better to do a little and then do more than that little. If the goal is to get injured and then not be able to train continuously, then intense exercise is not worth it.

Don't train in pain

Older athletes' priorities change. They are not very interested in being competitive, but in being able to live without pain. Instead of doing a max rep in deadlift, we fight obsolescence.

That is, routines should be modified accordingly. Distances and repetitions are reduced to maintain training stimulus, and weights and movements are modified to maintain movement integrity.
For example, many older people have shoulder mobility issues. Ideally, change weights to focus on core work and avoid overloading the lower back.

When it comes to body composition, maintaining muscle mass is a high priority for all athletes. In the case of the elderly, it can be the difference between being able to stand up after a fall or not being able to get up.

Mobility is key for organs

Mobility is the closest thing to the fountain of youth. As we all age, the goal should be to add more life to our years, not to train to add more age to our lives.

stay active. to walk! Strength training should be done 2-3 days a week to help keep the muscles strong; Something essential for performing basic and daily tasks.

It's never too late to start

Biologically, there are many things that age us, such as oxidative stress, inflammation, and decreased autophagy ability.

We know that to help reverse our aging, we need to improve our breathing quality (including using hypoxia), improve our sleep, get fast, get sunlight, eat a predominantly plant-based diet, reduce chronic stress, and get a lot more movement.

If you don't know anything about strength training, my advice is to start lifting weights right away, the sooner the better. With our strength declining as we age and the risk of chronic disease increasing , building lean muscle is becoming more important than ever as a source of prevention .

Do quality exercises

When it comes to education over 50, focus on quality rather than quantity. Pay extra attention to the intensity of the workout rather than the duration of the workout. More is not better; better

The real key to exercising and exercising over the years is consistency and a systemic approach. Getting stronger makes everything but the gym easier, and it's one of the best things you can do to prevent injury, preserve your muscle and bone mass, and control your body weight.

Concern about exercising at a certain age

There are a number of popular research resources that are often cited to encourage greater awareness of the benefits of exercise in people over 50, especially if you're just starting out on your fitness journey.

One study analyzed possible causes of death and found that among the findings, switching from inactivity to increased physical activity was associated with a 32-35% lower risk of death. So it doesn't hurt to start thinking about joining the gym.

Reduce HIIT sessions

After 50, we should keep HIIT workouts to a minimum. No more than 40 minutes per week, especially for women who have reached perimenopause and beyond. Unfortunately, high-intensity interval training can cause our bodies to release more cortisol, which is something to avoid at this age.

HIIT also has a higher risk of injury, such as stress fractures, so be very careful when trying it for the first time at this age. Alternatively, we can try low-impact and non-joint-damaging LIIT exercises.

Walk every day

If we've never been much of a hiker, now is the time to start. Maybe we'll make sure to take a 20-minute walk every day as part of our aerobics or just for fun. We'll walk the dog, leave the office for lunch, or meet a friend for a walk.

No matter how we walk, making it a daily habit is key to keeping us active and fit after 50. Additionally, it has the added benefit of helping to lower stress levels.

Benefits of doing sports after 50

Staying fit is beneficial at any age, but exercising after 50 is crucial to maintaining a healthy lifestyle as you age. These are just a few of the benefits of sweating:

Improve your mental health

Taking the time to exercise can significantly improve your overall health, beyond just providing physical benefits. Experts say exercise can help people with mild depression. Regular resistance exercise produces significant improvements in depression, physical self-concept, fatigue, invigoration, calmness, tension, positive commitment, and general mood disturbance among adults and older adults.

Regular exercise from age 50 improves cognitive function, including memory. So it keeps us alert and active, not just physically.

Help preserve muscle mass

Incorporating strength training into your exercise routine is key to slowing the loss of muscle mass that comes with aging. Staying active is also important for your bones, as maintaining bone density can reduce the risk of falls.

Dozens of studies have shown that even a relatively short program of resistance exercise (20 to 40 minutes per session, two to three days a week) can rebuild muscle tissue in people aged 50 to 90 years. Most of these research routines have resulted in a pound or two of muscle gain after just three to four months of strength training.

Reduce the risk of certain diseases

The risk of developing heart disease, certain types of cancer, and diabetes can be reduced by regular physical activity. Hypertension is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Numerous studies have shown significant reductions in resting blood pressure readings after an additional two months of standard or functional strength training.

Having healthy habits prevents drug use. Doing sports regularly helps to reduce inflammation in the body and helps the organism to work well.

Help with weight control

Over the years, metabolism slows down. This, combined with the fact that we move less, causes us to gain weight without realizing it. If we continue to maintain our daily calorie expenditure, we will be able to control our weight in the long run.

Resistance training has a double effect on a person's metabolic rate as it increases energy use during the training session and muscle recovery and remodeling for up to three days after each workout. Also, most people accumulate fat as they age, even if their eating habits remain the same. Fortunately, the same strength training studies that showed a one or two pound increase in muscle also showed a one or two pound decrease in fat weight.

Provides a sense of achievement

As we get older, there are few things that give us a sense of fulfillment or accomplishment. Exercise is a relaxing activity that improves mental health and makes us excel at every exercise. Maybe a month ago you ran for 5 minutes and now you can last 20 minutes. 

Main mistakes

Many recommit to maintaining their physical training routine after a long period of time. But it's important to know that you need to change some old habits to avoid injuries, adapt to changes in your body, and most importantly make your workouts as effective and efficient as possible.

Training is very easy

A scientific study found that people who followed the most intense workouts saw the most benefits, with an average gain of 10 pounds of muscle mass and no injury.

As a result, we need not just intense workouts, but exercises that can be taken care of at any age. If the exercise feels too comfortable, it's probably time to increase the intensity. When you're working out in the gym, the last few reps of each exercise should be a little tough. If not, the weight should be slightly increased.

Training is too long

Exercising too much, too often, for too long, or too often can backfire in a number of ways. Many do not appreciate the importance of recovery between sessions, and research shows that resistance training without rest can do more harm than good in the long run.

While the body needs regular amounts of stress, such as exercise, to stay healthy, health can deteriorate if we give more than it can handle. So it is better to listen to the body.

We just do cardio

Aerobic exercise reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and helps prevent dementia. But when we focus on cardiovascular training at the expense of resistance or strength training, you miss out on some important benefits.

After the age of 40, most of us lose 20 to 40 percent of our muscle mass. You need to reduce or stop this reduction altogether, and weight training can helpAdditionally, resistance training has been shown to reduce rates of certain chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and also help increase functional fitness.