Over 65

[kstratemeyer]

I just joined a few minutes ago. I have been working out in a gym three days a week for years. I am now retired and my goal is to maintain my weight, fitness and strength. I know I can't do the same things that I used to do when I was younger so I'm looking for workout routines for men over the age of 65. Can someone help me find them?

[air2fakie]

Not all 65+ year old men are the same or should be doing the same workout. That being said, if you've been working out 3 days/week for years and are just looking to maintain your current fitness and strength, continuing that workout at the same level would be your best bet.

If you're looking to adjust that workout or are looking for something geared towards more specific goals or to work around certain injuries, general wear & tear or other issues due to age, more info on your current program/health/fitness/strength/goals would be helpful.

[kstratemeyer]

Looking to maintain, but I get tired of doing the same routine and would like to mix it up. I just thought with all the workout plans on this site that there may be some that was geared towards the older crowd.

[cmacken]

There are older guys on here that train harder than I ever would, it has more to do with recovery and response to intensity and volume rather than a prescribed workout based on your age. As air2fakie said, it you are looking for specific feedback or suggestions you will need to provide more info on what you are doing now/what you like/don't like etc.

[kstratemeyer]

My goal is to remain fit and have the strength to live an active lifestyle. I used to bike a lot, riding in century bike rides with my longest one-day ride being 120 miles. I had to give that up when my knees and back started giving me problems. I have a lot of arthritis in my back but don't have a lot of trouble with it since I got an injection in it 20 months ago. I do wear a belt that supports my SI joints when I work out.

I'm not interested in bulking up. I've done that and the heavy weights were not kind to my knees and back so I do lighter weights and more reps, usually 3 sets of 15-20. My routines usually run about 45 minutes followed by 30 minutes on a stationary bike. Walking a lot does a number on my back so I stay off the treadmills. Running is not an option.

I guess my overall goal is for my body to be hard and strong so I lean toward total body workouts. Motivation is not an issue. I'm pretty faithful on hitting the gym 3 times every week but even though I'm retired, I don't really want to be in the gym every day. I do sometimes add days in the winter when I have nothing else to do. I guess I'm just bored with my routine and looking for a way to mix it up every few weeks.

[air2fakie]

You continue to speak generally about your current workout & strength, so it's hard to give ways to "mix it up" that would maintain your current state. If you've been working out for years, I wouldn't bother with any program that's supposedly geared towards senior citizens.

The easiest way to mix it up if you prefer to stay in the higher rep range would be just to pick diff exercises and switch them out every month or two, mix/match exercises on diff days in diff orders, etc. - and if you're just looking to maintain you can lower volume a little and/or not progress to heavier weights - then adjust based on results.

[supramax]

... I guess I'm just bored with my routine and looking for a way to mix it up every few weeks.

What is your workout routine?

[coachcalande]

They this, stay with your set and rep ranges….


Bundle 1
( 15 seconds rest between each)
Bench
Row
Situp
Squat

Bundle 2

Incline
Lat pull
Leg raises
Leg curl
Leg ext

Bundle three
Shoulder press
Upright row
Barbell curls
Pushdowns

Three rounds of each bundle, 15-20 reps each set, add weight when 50 total reps achieved in 3 sets.

[kstratemeyer]

What is your workout routine?

Day 1
DB squats
DB shoulder shrugs
cable curls
pressdowns
chest press
leg extension
rope face pulls
shoulder press
ab crunches

Day 2
pushups
pullups
lat pulldowns
lunges
cable row
leg press
incline chest press
leg curls
ab crunches

Day 3
pushups
lateral raises
band pulls
back extension
pec flys
bicep curls
calf raises
ab crunches

[BeginnerGainz]

They this, stay with your set and rep ranges….


Bundle 1
( 15 seconds rest between each)
Bench
Row
Situp
Squat

Bundle 2

Incline
Lat pull
Leg raises
Leg curl
Leg ext

Bundle three
Shoulder press
Upright row
Barbell curls
Pushdowns

Three rounds of each bundle, 15-20 reps each set, add weight when 50 total reps achieved in 3 sets.

I agree with this. Generally for older clients I would program low to moderate intensity work in 2-3 set of 12-15.

[Tommy W.]

As long as you're hitting everything a couple times a week you'll be fine. The key at our age is to stay away from the low rep ranges and do exercises that aren't causing joint discomfort. Recovery is probably the most critical factor of all. You really won't be adding muscle so the goal is to maintain what you have and stay flexible.

In an interview with Frank Zane they asked him what's the one thing he would have done differently and his answer was he wish he hadn't trained heavy for so long.

[Tommy W.]

I just joined a few minutes ago. I have been working out in a gym three days a week for years. I am now retired and my goal is to maintain my weight, fitness and strength. I know I can't do the same things that I used to do when I was younger so I'm looking for workout routines for men over the age of 65. Can someone help me find them?

It would help if you'd post a pic of yourself. That would greatly improve the advice and also open up a conversation about your diet which is equally, if not more important.

[joewattie]

First of all; you're much smarter than me having kept up with your workouts throughout your work career. I quit some forty years ago. Between family (wife, kids, senior parents), work, house, accidents, injuries, etc. it was easier to just go grab a beer :-)

So here I am, age 74, trying to start up again. After COVID the neighborhood gym opened up before the neighborhood bar so I joined.

What I'm going to offer isn't "better", it's just "different" (as per request :-)

Between injuries and arthritis I'm mostly staying away from "free weights" and learning to use the machines.

Like you I'm doing a "full body" routine. Three days a week is achievable. Split routines taking five-ish days a week are unlikely. (Also "Split Body" involves multiple sets of multiple exercises per muscle group, a "macro" teardown. "Full Body" is "micro" teardowns, less demanding and better bounce back at my age.)

I organized my routine in a "big muscle" to "little muscle" order. (For example if I were to pre-exhaust my triceps, a supporting muscle for a chest press, I would compromise my chest press.) Making sure I work the "big muscles" is also supposed to help with body weight management.

Then I decided on supersets between agonistic pairs, commonly referred to as "push/pulls". Supersets reduce time in the gym while introducing a little cardio. Then I decided to do the "pulls" first. "Pushes" seemed to aggravate the joints while "pulls" seemed to warm them up for the "push".

The result is;

* Legs
* * Supersets between seated leg curls and seated leg extensions
* * Supersets between leg presses and calf raises

* Supersets between upper back rows and chest presses

* Supersets between trap pulls and seated shoulder presses

* Supersets between bicep curls and triceps "something"

* Supersets between Abs "something" and lower back "something"

The first set is 20-ish. It's kind of a "warm-up" / "inventory" (is everything working, any abnormal pain?)
The second set is 15-ish, then a 10-ish set and then three sets at 5-ish (but feel free to stay at 10-ish sets and skip the 5-ish sets).
If/when the sets start getting easy-ish I start adding weight as appropriate.

I've an inventory of "backup" machines for when my preferred machine is busy or for when someone takes one of my machines while I'm super setting between machines.

If/when my back is feeling OK I'll swap out the leg presses for real squats or deadlifts.

On leg extensions or leg curls I've learned that if I raise my toes (point them up) I don't experience knee pain.

For some of the machines (e.g., seated chest press, seated shoulder press) I've learned if I tighten my Abs not only does it help my lift it's like a "genuine make-believe" Ab workout.

For leg press, squats and deadlift I've learned if I tighten my butt like I'm trying to hold back a fart it helps my lift and works my glutes.

OK, I've bored you long enough ...