Older newbie

Hey, everybody,
I'm just starting to get back into lifting after about 10 years of none. I'm also starting to run again after a couple of years off. I'm in pretty decent shape, considering, but I'm 55 and have lost a lot of muscle mass.
I'm wondering if there are any people here who have any ideas, cautions, tips about lifting when you're older.
I plan on starting out with a very small, basic routine: squats, deadlifts, pushups or benches, and pullups or lat pulldowns, and giving myself maybe 6 months to strengthen my connective tissue. After that I will start to try to gain back some mass.
I have a good feeling about Super-Slow, especially for starting out, and I'd appreciate some feedback on that.
So, anybody got any opinions (silly question )?
Rob

Welcome to IM,

Post your question in the training section and I am sure you will get all the help you need. But your basic plan sounds good.

warthogboy welcome to IM!

Good to be here!

Hey, Robert,
I was reading your post on "10 Things You Must Do to Gain Mass!" and the links in the message don't work, so I can't check out your favorite mass building exercises, for instance. Can you fix that?
thanks, Rob

Welcome warthog. Sounds like you got a good plan to me, good luck.

Thanks, man. i don't know if I want to take any advice from you, though. You look a little crazy in your picture.....

BiggerNstronger said:

Welcome warthog. Sounds like you got a good plan to me, good luck.

Click to expand...

Welcome Warthogboy, I'm new here too and the same age. I started my foundation training using the 12 week program called Body for Life, which included weights, cardio, and eating. Did wonders too and now I'm doing a 4 day split that I enjoy.

Best of luck to you, it's nice to see someone else of 'age' in here. LOL

Hi, Lean,
Thanks for the welcome. Yeah, it's good to know there are some of us with some mileage on in this forum. I'm hoping to exchange ideas and experience with other people our age. Haven't heard from any women yet.....
So what's this Body for Life program? Where did you find out about it?
Rob

Hey Warthogboy, had a problem just calling you wart. LOL

Here's the link to Body for Life: http://www.bodyforlife.com/
and a link to Lean&Strong: http://www.leanandstrong.org/PHP-Nuke-7.4/html/
This is a support group formed by those doing Body for Life (BFL) and other programs. Actually I found this website on that one. So I frequent them both.

BFL is a 12 week program (for starters) with both an exercise and eating program that really does work if you stick to it. As for me, after I completed a couple "programs" I decided to look for other programs to mix it up. That's why I'm here, to learn from others.

Good luck in your venture and holler any time you want to swap stories. My heavy lifting would be warm-ups for most of the folks in here, but as long as I'm pucker'n at both ends, I figure I'm lifting what I should be.

LOL! Wart! That's good. You can call me Rob - I use warthogboy because no one ever uses that moniker and it's easy to get a user name.

Thanks for the URLs! I'll check them out.

I know what you mean about warm-up heavy lifts; I am doing 75# squats and deadlifts! 'Course I do 4 reps with 10 seconds positive and 10 seconds negative, so it's not as bad as at first glance, but still.....

You're right about the puckers! Don't want to go past that point!
Be talking to ya, Rob

10 second positive and 10 second negative? Sounds like the "Power of 10" workout. OUCH! I tried that (not with squats) and it killed me. Kinda like doing 21's. Whew!
Great for a change-up but a killer. You have my respect man.

Heck, I don't even do real squats cause the dang bar kills me even with the pad attached. I resort to Hack squats (both directions) and Leg presses. I know squats
are the meat and potatoes, like doing chins which is another exercise I haven't been able to do very well since the Military another lifetime ago. LOL But I'm working my way back up to them.

Anyway, keep lift'n and enjoy what you're do'n.

Well, I'm doing an abbreviated workout: squats, stiff-leg deadlifts, pushups and chins (or is it pullups?). I only do one set, and I do as many reps as I can, with the correct weight being enough to get to muscle failure in 4 reps. So it's hard when I do it, because muscle failure hurts, but it's over pretty quickly, and I'm never sore afterward. Also, I only lift every other day.
What I hope to accomplish with this is strengthen my connective tissue, which I guess takes a while compared to muscle tissue. When I feel like my ligaments and tendons have been strengthened enough, then I'll go to a more varied workout, with shorter positive and negative so I build muscle mass.
I just didn't want to charge out and hurt myself.

Have you tried dumbbell squats standing on a box?
I can only do 3 chins in my timing - I'm thinking maybe I should work my way up using lat pulldowns instead, with lighter weight.

Well, I'm not exactly having a good time, but I get a lot of emotional satisfaction anyway! Wart

LeanDreamer said:

10 second positive and 10 second negative? Sounds like the "Power of 10" workout. OUCH! I tried that (not with squats) and it killed me. Kinda like doing 21's. Whew!
Great for a change-up but a killer. You have my respect man.

Heck, I don't even do real squats cause the dang bar kills me even with the pad attached. I resort to Hack squats (both directions) and Leg presses. I know squats
are the meat and potatoes, like doing chins which is another exercise I haven't been able to do very well since the Military another lifetime ago. LOL But I'm working my way back up to them.

Anyway, keep lift'n and enjoy what you're do'n.

Click to expand...