Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I received a ton of questions in response to
yesterday's email about balanced training
programs. I'll cover some of the more common
questions in my daily emails. I always figure
that if ten people send me the same or similar
question, many more of you have the same
question.
And please note -- this question is one I have
rec'd from many older lifters -- and the younger
readers should note, the answer is NOT to "Shut
up, be tough, and just do it!" Older lifters
need to train differently than younger lifters,
and sometimes means they need to do different
exercises.
Q. "I'm 52 and I can't do back squats any more.
They're just too hard on my back. Would front
squats be a good alternative?"
A. Absolutely! I've been using front squats as my
primary leg exercise for the past couple of
years and they work great. I really like them.
It's better to do them holding the bar at the
shoulders, as if you were doing a squat clean --
but if that's impossible for you, then use the
"crossed hands" or "bodybuilder style" of front
squats. They both work.
If you can, do full squats. All the way down.
BUT NOTE: you need to maintain an upright torso
when you do front squats. You cannot lean forward
on these.
That means, you'll need to wear shoes with a
built up heel -- as in, hiking boots with a heel,
construction boots with a heel, or Olympic lifting
shoes.
I wear the Power Perfect II weightlifting shoe.
They run 119 clams. There are more expensive OL
shoes, but I actually like these better. I got
them from Bud Charniga at the below link:
http://www.dynamic-eleiko.com/
IMPORTANT: If you are an older lifter and you
want to try front squats because back squats hurt
your shoulders or your back, your flexibility is
not going to be what it was when you were younger.
That's why you need the shoes!
I'm a good case in point. I can do front squats
perfectly well in my OL shoes -- but in regular
gym shoes, I have trouble doing them with an
empty bar.
In my case, my ankles and Achilles tendons are a
little tight. And for guys over the age of 40,
that's not at all uncommon. And that's why I wear
OL shoes.
If your knees hurt, wear rubber knee bands. Tommy
Kono invented these, and he sells good ones:
http://www.tommykono.com/
For sets and reps, always remember that less is
more -- especially for an older lifter. And
remember that you need to get those warm-up sets
in. As I've said before, if you don't have time
to do your warm-ups, you don't have time to
train.
Start very light and work up with progressive
poundages. You want your knees, ankles, hips and
lower back to be well warmed up by the time you
tackle your work sets.
For older lifters, low reps are often best. Not low
reps with weights that crush you, but low reps with
weights that are challenging, but weights that you
can control.
Do NOT drop and bounce. Control the weight all the
way up and all the way down. Your knees don't like
drop and bounce lifting.
Five reps per set is your max number. Triples and
doubles are probably better. I like doubles. I usually
do doubles on my warm-up sets, and work up to my
top weight for the day, where I do 5 sets of 2 reps.
Do them once or twice a week. I like once per week.
And yes, you can wear a belt if you prefer to do that.
But if you do front squats without a belt, you get a
bonus -- you train your midsection (isometric style)
at the same time you work your legs!
For more info on effective training for older lifters,
including sets and reps (and over 50 training programs
for older lifters of different ages and different levels
of experience), grab a copy of Gray Hair and Black Iron:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
That's a long answer to a short question, but there
was plenty to cover. The devil is always in the
details.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day.
If you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. A special note for beginners of all ages -- be sure
to grab CHALK AND SWEAT. One reason I wrote the book was
to give beginners some detailed instruction on how to get
started in the Iron Game -- so 10 of the 50 training
programs in the book are for beginners. (The other
programs are for intermediates, advanced lifters and
guys who are interested in building maximum strength
and muscle as fast as possible.) You can grab it here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
