If you ever want to irritate me all you need to do is send me one of those “Exercises You Should Never Do After 50” articles.
I hate those.
They’re almost always full of you-know-what and are just meant to scare people and get clicks. Most importantly the writers never seem to have heard of the concept of progression.
The usual content of over-50 fitness articles in emoji form.
There are many ways to do just about every exercise. Adding weight is only one way to make it harder and sometimes it’s not even the best way.
I’m calling this article “3 Exercises (Almost) Everyone Should Do”. I’ll let you know the three exercises I’m talking about, why they’re great to do and three different progressions so you can find the one that’s right for you.
Let’s get started.
1- Squats.
What is so great about them?
Squats work about every muscle in your body one way or another and that’s great for building lean body and getting you stronger. (I don’t care what your goals are, if you aren’t actively trying to get stronger it’s likely you won’t reach them.) Squats also teach your body how to move in a coordinated fashion which is very important for keeping aches and pains out of your back and hips.
Progression 1 – Body weight squat
Progression 2 – Goblet Squat
Progression 3 – Barbell Front Squat
2- Push-ups
What is so great about them?
Push-ups are a great exercise that many people misunderstand. People think it’s an upper body strength exercise, and it is, but it is a fantastic core exercise first! You have set your core to make sure that your body moves in a straight line.
Progression 1 – Hand-Elevated Push-ups
Progression 2 – Push-ups on the floor
Progression 3 – Feet Elevated Push-ups
3- Deadlifts
What is so great about them?
You pick stuff up, right? Kids, groceries, laundry, other stuff? Have you ever heard a story about someone blowing their back out picking up a pencil? Well, deadlifts are here to make sure that you don’t have to tell that story about yourself. Seems pretty functional, huh?
Like squats, deadlifts use just about every muscle on your body and teach you how to use your hips and legs to do things instead of your back.
Progression 1 – Elevated Dumbbell Deadlift
Progression 2- Double Dumbbell Deadlift
Progression 3 – Trap Bar Deadlift
Of course it’s true that every exercise isn’t good for everyone (that’s why I use the word “almost” in the title) but generally speaking, these three exercises should be some part of just about everyone’s resistance training program in some fashion.
Lastly, any time you hear someone say you shouldn’t do something after 50 just ask them if it was OK at 49 and 364 days.
Did I Just Blow Your Mind?
Let me know if you need any help figuring out the progression that is right for you.
Have a great day!
Mitch Rothbardt, CPT, PN Level 2 Lean Eating Coach, Egoscue PAS Castro Valley Fitness 2861 Grove Way 510-755-9191 Mitch@CastroValleyFitness.com