In this article, I’m going to write about a few things. First, what you should do different if you are a man that is 50+ vs other ages, and how we do exactly those things at Spark Fitness in North Hollywood. You should come away with a few great nuggets of info on how to approach your training, and hopefully you’ll see we have really great strategies for helping men over the age of 50 get in shape!
If you are over 50, you should do some things differently than say, someone who is 15, 25, 35, or even 65!
What You Should Do
First, being strong is the single most important thing you can be. Thus, strength training is the most important thing you can do. It is the only way to build muscle, strengthen your tendons/ligaments, maximizes your usefulness, helps manage blood pressure, and anyone that said strength training wasn’t cardio… never strength trained. It is the best use of your time by far.
So, how do we get strong? Well, generally that requires a few things – listed here in no particular order:
- Get on a strength program. Most people that workout are not on a strength program – and most people think they’re going to get stronger and don’t. Hell, most trainers don’t know how to actually write and manage a strength program. At Spark Fitness, we have programs specifically designed to help you become strong. Point A to Point B sort of programming – cause let’s face it, if you’re over 50 you have shit going on, and being over 50, you don’t have time to waste.
- Get a coach that specializes in strength training technique. It takes decades of strength training, and at least several years of coaching people to even have a fighting chance to be an expert in coaching strength training technique. And technique is direly important – especially when you’re not 16 anymore. Your coach/trainer should be very strong (which takes a LONG time), AND have a track record of training people of all ages… technique and exercise program/selection can be VERY different at 50+ in comparison to people 13-40.
- Eat for strength. This is the single thing that men aged 50+ mess up – they are absolutely terrified of getting fat and having a heart attack. Here’s the deal: gaining weight is not inherently a bad thing. Gaining muscle is inherently a great thing… and guess what… if you put on 30lbs of muscle, the scale will go up a lot… and your health will go up a lot as well. You need to eat a ton of protein, and high quality carbs.
- Set a schedule. Like I said, you’ve got stuff going on. But, like the great Steven Covey said, you have to schedule your priorities, not prioritize your schedule. Open the schedule and put in 2-3x/week of strength training. Set that time aside, and keep it sacred.
- Go to the strength training gym and hire a personal trainer that specializes in strength. You can set up a free intro at Spark Fitness – or use google to find a strength training gym near you, and start.
- Get really strong. Fall in love with the process. Don’t set limiting believes. There is no such thing as too strong. You need to bank strength like you do your 401k. You’ll need it someday.
If you’re looking to get strong, lose fat, and build muscle that you can use and rely on for the rest of your life, submit your info on our website and we’ll reach out, or you can set up a free intro and come meet directly with the owner. If you don’t live close enough, we can coach you remote, or we’ll help refer you to a gym in your area.
Coach Connor
Find me on instagram @connorgreen3000 and the gym @sparkfitnessla
Find me on YouTube here @connorgreen3000 and the gym here @sparkfitnessla