How best to train after fifty.

What is the best way to stay in shape after 50? The answer for me is the path of least resistance. The exercises, lifestyle and eating habits that give you the most progress with the least effort. We all need to be careful after 50 to avoid injuries while training our body. I have injured myself many time doing things that I should not have done correctly or just plain stupidity.

The picture above was taken a few months ago when I heard about a new trend that started with guys like Will Smith. He is working on transforming his dad’s body at 50 plus. I cheated in the picture above as I did a few pushups and dumbbell presses to pump myself up. This was the best picture of the set, all the others pictures I took I look old and out of gas, a fat 50-year-old in denial.

I am a stepdad so I thought I could jump on the band wagon and learn something on my journey that I would be able to share. I do not have a gym membership anymore. My wife and I stopped going at the beginning of the Covid19 thing. That would be around February 2020 we canceled our membership at Anytime Fitness.

My exercise regime will mostly consist of walking and some home equipment. I have 25lb dumbbells and acquired a pair of 35lb dumbbells on Offer Up for $30. I also got a pull up bar from Walmart for $25, push up stands $10 and $10 floor mats.

My home workout is a variation of the workout below which is sort of a PHA/ HITT workout. HIIT workouts generally combine short bursts of intense exercise with periods of rest or lower-intensity exercise. PHA training or peripheral heart action training

A Extended PHA workout below is done with four round of each group done with rest the going straight to the other group and doing four rounds. That’s 16 sets per group and 64 sets after doing all 4 groups. This is done without rest and a minimum of 10 reps per set.

Group 1Leg press, seated dumbbell press, crunches, pull downs
Group 2Curls, leg lifts, press downs, seated calf presses
Group 3Leg extensions, cable rows, leg curls, peck dec
Group 4Incline dumbbell presses, calf raises, dumbbell shrugs, hyper extensions

I do a form of these exercises above with my dumbbells since I do not have access to most of the equipment above so below is my dumbbell version of the workout.

Group 1 Goblet squats, bent over dumbbell rows, Standing dumbbell presses , Sit-ups
Group 2 Dumbbell Curls, Sit-ups, Dumbbell Presses on the ground, standing calf raises with the Dumbbells in my hands
Group 3 Dumbbell deadlifts, Bent-over dumbbell side rows, Straight leg deadlifts, Dumbbell fly’s on the ground
Group 4 Pushups or lying dumbbell presses, dumbbell shrugs, standing calf raises, sit-ups

I do a minimum of ten reps per exercise and twenty for the light ones like standing calf raises, shoulder shrugs and sit-ups. The whole workout takes me close to an hour to complete all sixty-four sets.

Walking is part of my routine.

My wife and I try to walk at least three times per week. The trail behind where we live is about 2.4 miles round trip. It is great to get the fresh air and to be in nature outdoors.