I agree. I am in my late 50s and have lifted all my adult life. Last year the gains plateaued and I seemed to always have a pull muscle or two somewhere. Consequently, last summer I transitioned to doing 60 to 80 minutes of strength yoga everyday followed by 3 to 10 sets of weights or plyometrics. I am a lot more flexible and I feel better. Highly recommend it.
Not sure how many pounds of muscle, but I believe I am just as strong or stronger through a fuller range. For example, deeper pistol squats and longer holds at the bottom of Chaturanga pushups. For reference, before I switched to strength yoga, I could deadlift over double my body weight. I no longer attempt any single max reps, but I don’t feel like I have sacrificed any strength.
I'm over sixty and nearly all the strong men my age seem overweight and stiff to me. I did some hypertrophy and strength training for over forty years, most of the time balanced with endurance and flexibility stuff plus martial arts practice. Endurance takes most time, flexibility second.
Rucking which is simply Walking with a weighted rucksack or Vest has huge health strength and mobility benefits . Read the Book RUCKING FIT By Max Walker a.co/d/4piYK9M #Amazon
My wife and I have been lifting for about 25 years. We’re 60 now. Never really chased big numbers, just functional strength. It has seen her through some rough illnesses. As a teen I started Tae Kwon Do. Honestly not a great fighting art, but did it off and on into my 40s and my flexibility and balance remain impacted by those years. Movement is key. Well said!
To me this speaks to the poverty of gyms and bodybuilding as a way of developing fitness compared to living an active lifestyle and building fitness as a part of work and daily life. We live in a culture that is hostile to the human body and depend on machines for everything, and try to compensate with repetitive, tedious exercise (usually involving yet more machines) that often leads to unbalanced results that are only marginally better for health than being unfit.
The reality is that professional athletes are mostly broken by the time they’re 40 but since they’re out of limelight, no one sees the price they pay with their bodies.
I agree. I am in my late 50s and have lifted all my adult life. Last year the gains plateaued and I seemed to always have a pull muscle or two somewhere. Consequently, last summer I transitioned to doing 60 to 80 minutes of strength yoga everyday followed by 3 to 10 sets of weights or plyometrics. I am a lot more flexible and I feel better. Highly recommend it.
Thanks for sharing George! Curious how much muscle you've built with the change too?
Not sure how many pounds of muscle, but I believe I am just as strong or stronger through a fuller range. For example, deeper pistol squats and longer holds at the bottom of Chaturanga pushups. For reference, before I switched to strength yoga, I could deadlift over double my body weight. I no longer attempt any single max reps, but I don’t feel like I have sacrificed any strength.
I'm over sixty and nearly all the strong men my age seem overweight and stiff to me. I did some hypertrophy and strength training for over forty years, most of the time balanced with endurance and flexibility stuff plus martial arts practice. Endurance takes most time, flexibility second.
Solid.
Score 21 on FMS at well over 60 and still......issues. f*cking issues....
now, layer on top sarcopenia and reduced VO2max yada yada.
...am still considered very flexible, etc, but...the issues are real and everpresent.
Solid post. Always work top to bottom mobility. Lee Weiland and Pacific Rim Athletics (think that's the name) has a great YT on this.
Thanks for calling this out.
Rucking which is simply Walking with a weighted rucksack or Vest has huge health strength and mobility benefits . Read the Book RUCKING FIT By Max Walker a.co/d/4piYK9M #Amazon
My wife and I have been lifting for about 25 years. We’re 60 now. Never really chased big numbers, just functional strength. It has seen her through some rough illnesses. As a teen I started Tae Kwon Do. Honestly not a great fighting art, but did it off and on into my 40s and my flexibility and balance remain impacted by those years. Movement is key. Well said!
To me this speaks to the poverty of gyms and bodybuilding as a way of developing fitness compared to living an active lifestyle and building fitness as a part of work and daily life. We live in a culture that is hostile to the human body and depend on machines for everything, and try to compensate with repetitive, tedious exercise (usually involving yet more machines) that often leads to unbalanced results that are only marginally better for health than being unfit.
Loved this. Hard relate to your friend
The reality is that professional athletes are mostly broken by the time they’re 40 but since they’re out of limelight, no one sees the price they pay with their bodies.