Advice For Those Who Are Building Muscle After 50

People think once they have gone over the age of 50, they are too old to gain any muscle but that isn’t the case. The body can still take a good amount of exercise and produce muscle that you can show off. Here are some good tips that will have a person building muscle after 50 with no problems.

Strength training at least twice a week is the recommended amount for people over the age of 50, exceeding no more than four times. Between each workout, the body should be given two days to rest and recover. Without this resting period, over training can occur, which results in injuries that will make it impossible to exercise and cause muscle mass to decrease. Cardio must be done as well, and since women are more likely to get osteoporosis, they can benefit from high impact cardio training that increases bone density, provided their joints can handle it. It’s always best to consult a doctor before starting to learn what your body can take and how to make a good exercise plan.

For each session, do two exercises for each muscle group. Don’t be afraid to try out different exercises with each session. Focus on key areas, like the biceps, back, abs, and chest for a good build. Multi joint exercises offer the greatest stability increase and target multiple groups for a more efficient workout. Push ups, bench presses, and pull ups are good examples of such exercises and when done correctly, will cause muscle gain while minimizing the chances of getting an injury.

You can determine the ideal weight to lift for your exercises by doing 15 reps in a couple of sets with different amounts. The weight that makes you the most tired after the reps is what you want to use, and as you become stronger, you’ll be able to lift a heavier weight. Transitioning to heavier weights helps the body avoid the dreaded plateau, where you don’t seem to be making any progress with your workouts. A personal trainer can be a great help if you are doing strength training for the first time. The safest way to exercise is to use machines over free weights.

A person’s aerobic capacity decreases as they age, making their cardio fitness level lower with it. Aerobic exercise such as running, swimming, and even dancing can be used to increase this level. More calories are burned during aerobic exercise than they are when doing strength training, which makes aerobic exercises a better option for getting rid of any excess weight that you don’t want lingering over the muscles you’re trying to gain. You don’t even have to do the most intense activities to perform aerobic exercises. A simple walk with the dog or garden work can give you quite the aerobic workout.

While a major part of building muscle after 50 is physical work, the mind of the person also comes into play. Don’t think of yourself as an old person and unintentionally limit what you can do. You should know the limitations of your body, and not push yourself to injury, but don’t think that you don’t have the strength to do anything. If you stay focused, you can get past any mental road block. Now that you’ve been given advice, try it out and see how much muscle you can build.