Ok, I'm not particularly competitive about this, but... I need some fitness goals.
I move a lot. For the past 2 years, I had access to an Olympic pool. I went from considering swimming a chance to splash around to putting in two sets of 2 km each day. I think I'll have a pool and a weight room again in about a month. I'd like to make the most of this but I'm not certain what my goals should be. I have almost unlimited time to dump into this, but I'm also old. I don't particularly feel old, but I'm at the stage in life where impressing others isn't much of a motivation, but topping my personal bests is a way to convince myself that I'm not dying... yet.
Any advice?
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[–] NateThomas1979 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
How old is 'old'?
Some would consider that 30... some 40, some 50... etc.
So you know...this woman started working out in her 50s... that's a 75 year old woman there.
This is a 70 year old man
Point being that you can see results still if you want. You don't have to just give up on looking good as well as topping personal bests.
As far as personal bests...
this is just consistency. As you get older, the movements that I would say are key would be the major movements, the bench, squat, and push-press. Basically any movement that involves multiple muscles doing major movements. This will help you as you get older and less functional due to age. The more you keep your muscles in shape, the less likely you are to suffer from the issues of age.
You seem motivated. I think you'd be great to pick up a couple of books such as Starting Strength, Supple Leopard or similar and getting into a workout plan to boost your numbers. If you're looking for something specific... I'd suggest talking to someone in your area who can design something specific for you and your particular needs.
TL:DR - Focus on major movements, be consistent and if needing specifics consult with a PT.
[–] pitenius [S] 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
I'll certainly check out your books. I was mostly wondering about things like... picking goal weights, or "do a triathlon". Apparently, I'll have access to some kind of trainer? I haven't had that since I had a coach.
"Old" means over 40: old enough that "impress girls" is absolutely no motivation. My father still runs in his mid-70s. But, thanks for the book suggestions.
[–] NateThomas1979 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
The books are a good start. I wouldn't say you NEED a trainer by any means. Usually my clients for example are needing a little extra umph to get them motivated and you don't seem to need that at all.
For picking goal weights, I would suggest starting light and figuring out your max. Do you have someone who can spot you through some reps for a couple of times?
Any gym is going to try to sell you on a trainer, my thoughts were just that they would be able to tailor make a plan for you vs. doing a generic SS workout or 300 workout etc.
If you are in your 40s you're still young enough to do whatever you want. Do you want to bench 315? How about squat 405? What impressive goals do YOU want?
For starting to lift after not lifting, I would suggest picking around 50% of what you think you can lift for the first rep of any new exercise. Warm up with that and then depending on the ease or difficulty of the movement, assign a weight in which you can lift for the desired repetitions.
There is a correlation between repetitions and results. These are all based upon the weight you lift being only able to be lifted for those amount of reps before muscle failure. The repetitions are:
So pick a rep for what you are trying to gain. If you have had a coach, I'm guessing you've been trained in some movements already. I'd start with those.