50 year old woman workout

[daferg]

hello everyone, my mom goes to the gym at least 5 times a week. For her age she is in good shape, however when she was 13 she had some slipped disks so as a result; from the hip the 5 lumbar vertebrae are all fused together and they are also fused to the hip. All of the vertebrae are fused together with bone taken from a very large graft from her hip arches, because of this her back is very weak and many core excersises are painful.

She is 5'5" and 145 lbs, i dont know her body fat but she currently she will use the treadmill at about 4.5-5 for 2-3 miles and then despite what i say she will start doing a powerlifting routine.

what do you think would be a better routine for her to lose some fat, build some strength and get in better cardiovascular shape? any and all ideas and input is greatly appreciated.

[nsxmatt]

If she has a bad back and at her age, some exercises that are low impact would help. A stationary bike instead of a treadmill might be a good idea. A light weight program would help out too. Setting her up with a good personal trainer that could teach her the proper form would help out a ton.

[crupiea]

Your Mom is doing fine the way she is. If she is going to the gym 5 days per week and it seems like she is in a healthy weight range then dont push her to do what you want her to do.

You can recommend great exercises from now until the second coming and she most likely wont do them.

If she asks, give her some suggestions that you would use as the mildest thing you can think of then suggest things that are progressively harder. She will latch onto something that suits her needs.

Diet will be her best method of losing extra fat.

It is commendable for you to be thinking about her.