I know she is. And I'm 51. And like me, she's a runner. So she'll know how to tailor my suggestion to suit her own requirements and ability. I'm not assuming that she's either fitter than me or less fit, I'm just making a suggestion of something which I find works for me. She can use it as she wishes.
and... whats your point? most folks arent lifting 500lbs on a regular basis so really really really heavy weight isnt a concern like you said, real powerlifting is done by seasoned lifters. for everyone else its just general strength development. im guessing you steinborn squat also with your strongman work? would love to see updates of this in your log
To bodyshot Problem is the lady is already running and doing push ups pulls bw squats so she is hardly a couch potato Personally I think any upper body workout should have some row or pulling exercise, just working the biceps and shoulders is not healthy in the long run , and the workout isn’t long enough to have an effect on the aerobic system especially if the lady in question is also running If you have never powerlifted or competed in powerlifting saying its dangerous is really speaking without any knowledge, which is why I said there is a difference between powerlifting and doing the three lifts that make up powerlifting When you compete in powerlifting you have to train heavy weights and very low reps because that’s what you will compete in, if you don’t compete then there isn’t really any need to go below 4/5 reps in my view and often times there is really no need to go that low in a yearly training cycle Personally I would suggest getting a heart rate monitor and ensuring her cardio workouts were done in the 120-140bpm range for at least 30 mins twice a week, this can be running/jogging or bodyweight exercises done in a circuit fashion (so 10 squats, 30 seconds star jumps) 3 pull ups, 10 push ups, 10 x reverse crunches ,30 sec running on the spot, band rows x 10 med ball work such as slams, twists) that way you can get the cardio benefit and work the bodies muscular endurance and strength and allow her to get more done in a shorter space of time and be better use of training time One day a week I would suggest doing a warm up and doing high box or stair step ups (weighted or non-weighted) for 10- 20 mins keeping her heart rate between around 150bpm, and not going over 160bpms, aiming for 25-30 step ups a minute, this will work the endurance of both the fast and slow twitch fibers in the legs and hit her conditioning a slightly different way working the power of the aerobic system (how much aerobic power she can produce over a period of time) whereas the running working the capacity or (size of her gas tank so to speak) This will also tie in with her better use of training time as it will work leg endurance and conditioning at the same time Because of her age and the art she does I don’t see much point in doing any anaerobic work or the powerlifts either. Id keep things largely aerobic for strength work If possible I would suggest pull ups press ups, band rows and band presses for upper body, and single leg movements for the lower body weighted step ups, lunges etc, all this can be done at home with minimal equipment and 3 sets 0f 8-10 reps each set Only equipment I would suggest getting are some bands, med ball and weighted vest (you can use a back pack with some books in just as well though)
The trick with deadbugs is to make sure you don't arch your back when doing them. Make sure that your back is pressed into the floor or you won't get the benefit of them and they will seem really easy.
ok good post and no hard feelings but seriously I hear this power lifting thing all the time around the gym, I just dont agree that it makes you a good martial artist and for me thats the point of what Im training for. At 52 years of age you dont need to power lift lols, I think we all agree to that, aerobic work does strengthen the heart and the muscles not just the lungs but you know that, why wouldnt an ageing female want to do heart healthy exorcize, I think heart disease is like the number one or two killer of females Heres a point I took forgranted though, I figured you/she knew that it was ok to switch exorcizes out for the ones she liks/thinks best. Good luck to op, and if she wants advice I will be happy to offer, happy thanks giving btw.
not sure what a steiner is, and I really really need to fix that freakin log, its embarassing at this ppoint lols.
No we don’t all agree on that, again its your opinion and its not an accurate one, it all depends on what you want to do and your desired outcomes, whether you want to powerlift at 50 or not is entirely down to your goals, this ladies goals don’t happen to coincide with doing the big three in my eyes, but that doesn’t mean other peoples goals wont For example one of the guys at my gym took up powerlifting at the age of 50 due to medical reasons, today he is a British and commonwealth gold medal holder and has his health problems in check, another of our guys came back to power lifting after beating cancer to build his muscles back up, he is 71 this year and in great shape and still deadlifting and benching away. We have the current IPF world champion and world record holder in the deadlift and bench at our gym in the master 3 division (over 60), he is 63 years old, weighs 92kg and moves better than most guys in their 30s that I know, tell him there is no need to powerlift at his age……. My sifu started proper weight training in his 50s to help his martial arts and rugby playing, he currently squats close to twice bodyweight and throws me round like a rag doll, Yes I know aerobic training strengthens the aerobic system and muscular system of the muscles worked, that why I suggested getting a heart rate monitor and doing exercises in circuit fashion and keeping within a certain heart rate zone, to encourage and eccentric hypertrophy in the heart and not concentric, and build the endurance of the muscles worked
When people talk about fifty-somethings like we're too old and decrepit to do more than gentle excercise, I'm not sure whether I feel insulted... or inspired to do more! I know kids who are too out of shape to run twenty yards without wheezing. And I know a chap of about sixty who recently ran six marathons in six days and will shortly be doing ten in ten days. Making assumptions of what people are capable of based on their age is a BIG mistake. Can we please leave age out of it from now on? Thanks!
Well ok bro, I didnt say your too old. Im just saying that this lady isnt going to be power lifting in its trueist meaning o the word is all, I think shesjust looking for some new exorcizes to kinda change it up with.
I definitely feel like I got my money's worth from you guys for your responses to my question. I've had a read through them all again and can see there are some I can do something with fairly quickly like think through my goals and use a training log. There's lots of other ideas I can try out and see how they work for me including the hill sprints and what I might do by way of investing in any equipment. I'm thinking I'll be referring to this thread a number of times the next couple of months for new ideas. I'm enjoying the fact that being a martial artist makes me want to push myself to see what I can achieve. I'm stronger, fitter and more flexible now than I was in my 30s and reckon I can achieve more if I work at it. I've done an office job for the last 25 years and half the people I work with can't walk up two flights of stairs without dying. Cheers Bee
Walking up stairs is quite a good one. A few years ago, while I was waiting to be made redundant and basically killing time at work (with the company's blessing, I should add) a bunch of us started walking up and down about six flights of stairs several times, twice a day. Just for the excercise. It was great for a while, but it was surprising just how quickly I found myself getting used to it, and getting into my 'comfort zone'. I think it pays to keep changing things up regularly and finding new ways to push ourself to our limits. That seems to be when we make the greatest gains.
I work in a building with 7 flights of about 30 steps each and always walk from ground to fifth floor where I work and from basement to 5th. You're right about getting used to it pretty quickly. I had a go a hill sprints and found I could run flat out about 35 seconds at a time, so am planning to work on building up my time. What kind of frequency is good for this sort of exercise - once a week? More or less often than that?
Sprinting hard uphill for thirty five seconds at a time is very good. Finding a hill in London is even more impressive! I'm not an expert, but speaking purely from my own experience I'd say once a month would be the maximum I'd do something as intense as hill sprints. I find that even doing them occasionally gives a noticable benefit. I find the same with any really hilly runs, actually. For example, I did a half marathon at the end of October which featured a number of extremely steep climbs. It was a killer at the time, but I've felt noticably stronger since then, and my times on flatter runs have improved dramatically. So I'd say that now you've tried it, see if you see an improvement in your regular runs. Then try the hill sprints again in a few weeks, and see how much better you are at doing them!
North London is not too bad for hills (Muswell, Stamford etc) but they aren't like proper northern hills. I spent lots of my holidays as a child in Whitby and around the Yorkshire Moors so can vouch for this personally. Thanks for clarification on frequency for hill sprints too.
