60yo strength training

[ryan]

my old man is 60yo, and he has been training heavy for as long as i have known.
he has used a lifting belt for probably the last 40 years, so i was wondering if it would still be advisable to get him off that or could it be dangerous for his back.
Also is it fine for him to be lifting so heavy (Max out 5reps)in his older age. He usually does a few sets maxing at 3-5 then does his normal sets of 8-10. Its all heavy strength training.
cheers.

[AdamJM]

Age is just a number, if he's the physical condition where he can handle it then yea.

[Streax]

There are many 50+ year old men at my gym that can lift more than. I saw some old fat guy putting on a bench shirt with his friend and a camera man for like 20 minutes one day. And I was thinking to myself, "this should be funny..." but he kept putting more weight on, and more weight, and more weight, and more weight.... He popped out WAY over 400, and the camera man got a picture. I was like this

I guess the moral is, never underestimate old-man muscle. Old men are so much stronger than they look. I would have imagined a guy my age that looked to be about the same size as him to do 250-300 MAX.

I guess there will come a point when you are endangering yourself, but the day you stop is the day you make yourself feel old. I guess let him do what he wishes and if he injures himself, help him out emotionally and physically. We all dread the day when we will have to slow down.

[cursor]

Underneath age-weathered skin is muscle that is identical to that of a 20 year old. As long as you work it, you'll have it ... there is no real difference as you age.

[Streax]

I very much disagree cursor. The muscles of a 50 year old man may be similar to a 20 year old if the 50 year old has not worked out much in his life and is just getting into fitness. But, a 50 year old that has worked out for the past 30 years is a different case. Even if the two are the same in all other apects like:
-height
-weight
-bodyfat
-LBM

The 50 year old man is going to look MUCH more striated and defined, and he will be quite a bit stronger. This is due to "muscle maturity."

I have seen some older men that did not look all that muscular to be incredibly strong. Maybe it is not the norm, but I never see younger guys their size with that strength capacity.

[sd&purry]

apparently it goes something like this, by old age, speaking of a factor of say 60+ we loose approximately 10% of our mental and musculature abilities...hmmm...so for example if by 60 i could press 660 pounds....i would over a time period forefit about 10% of my ability...this is in a semi-humorous vein, but that is apparently correct, ive seen some powerful individuals,age isnt an issue

[klowns]

I advise you all to read a great book/comic/novel "kingdom come" SUPERMAN, Batman, basically all the justice league old but still strong and they put there heart into saving this planet.

One of the greatest books I have ever read that says no matter what age you are you can always do whatever it takes in the end.

I am a big superman fan and if you are a big Superman fan or even a justice league member like batman then I seriously advise you to pick it up.

You might be able to get it cheaper then I did or maybe it cost more now I don't know.

But I payed $30.00 dollars for it even though I personally think it was worth more then that.

I have the hard copy; I think they sell the book as parts too.

Well what I am trying to say is age is not a factor...
And in my personal opinion the book proves that..
Sorry if I got off topic a little

[TsiTalon]

60 man hes old ....... ducks cursor's punch

Like they said, if he has the muscle then he should be fine.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by klowns

I am a big superman fan and if you are a big Superman fan or even a justice league member like batman then I seriously advise you to pick it up.

Hasn't anyone ever told you that Superman is just fiction?

Justice league member? Like Batman? LOL

[Steve]

Originally Posted by TsiTalon

60 man hes old ....... .

if cursor doesn't wack you for this, I will.

[Gohan]

oh man. this one actually got me laughing.

[2Scoops]

I have to agree with sd&purry. Like it or not oldtimers, there is certain amount of muscle atrophy caused by aging and the muscle itself is not the same as younger muscle.

Motor neurons have a finite lifespan, and when they inevitably degrade, other nearby neurons spread slightly to reclaim any muscle fibres that have lost their neural contact. However, they can only spread a short distance and fibres will be lost and atrophy.

As mentioned before the average decline in strength (for non-trainers!) is about 10% per decade after ~35y. The lost fibres are typically type II and their lost is related to the increased inactivity of older people esp high intensity activity. So it's part genetic and part lifestyle just like everything else.

That said, there is some truth in that "old" muscle responds to training the same way as young muscle does. Studies in all age groups up to 90+ show similar % gains in strength from training. However, power increases are much less in elderly people (due to loss of type II fibres).

I firmly believe that everyone should be training until the day they die and it's never too late to start. The loss of functional strength in the elderly is preventable and I wish more people would adopt the attitude of cursor and not even consider age an issue when it comes to being fit and healthy. I've watched many older friends/relatives erode before my eyes and they wouldn't do anything about it because they wouldn't even consider exercise "at their age"!

So in response to the original post: hell yeah let your dad train. Encourage it, maybe even train with him in some crazy father/son bonding thing!

[cursor]

I'm not talking about how your muscles appear in the mirror, Streax, but rather what they actually are and how they grow and function.

A blood cell lasts just 2 to 4 months. Within just 3 to four months your entire blood supply is completely replaced. In just 6 months almost all the proteins in your body die and are replaced .. even your genes' DNA! In a year all your bones and even the enamel of your teeth is replaced. You are, in fact, what you eat.

Great post 2Scoops. You're right, failure to exercise (at any age) will age you, will limit your freedom, and will simply destroy a quality of life that you could otherwise enjoy.

[mustang GT]

Originally Posted by cursor

In a year all your bones and even the enamal of your teeth is replaced..

When I was young I use to grind my teeth as a habit and as a result, most my teeth enamal has been grinded off. A Dentist has told me that I won't get the enamal back. So is the dentist wrong?

[TsiTalon]

as far as i knew the enamal doesnt return. My sister has the same problem.