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| My workouts generally last an hour or so. At age 60, that's just about perfect. And I hit the iron three times a week. That's perfect, too. |
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Tomorrow is my birthday. I'll be
turning 60.
That means that today is my last
day in my 50's - and my last day
at age 59.
Which made it funny to get the
following question from a reader:
Brooks,
How long should my weight lifting
workouts take?
What is the maximum amount of
time a workout should take for a
59-year old male?
Charles R.
I figured I should answer this one
in today's email message - given
that it's a question about training
at age 59, and today's my last day
at age 59!
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| Gauge your workouts by how you feel. Your workouts should leave you feeling strong and energetic - or as Harry Paschall used to say, "full of beans and ready to turn flip-flops." |
The answer depends on various
factors, of course. If Charles is a
beginner, he should follow a basic
beginner's program such as the ones
in Chalk and Sweat - and he should
train three times a week for about
30 minutes a workout.
If Charles is a longtime trainer, he
should train 2 or 3 times a week,
and his workouts should last any-
where from 45 to 90 minutes.
Most of them should be right around
one hour.
And that includes warming up at the
beginning of your workout, and doing
a warm-down at the end of it.
That's really all you need, and pretty
much all you can stand if you're an
older trainee, you're working a full-
time job, and you're doing serious,
strength-oriented workouts.
Of course, if you're doing lighter
stuff, you may be able to train
longer - although it won't give
you any better results. But some
older guys like to go to the gym
and stay there a while. It's a form
of socialization, and it gets them
out of the house.
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| You don't need a fancy place to train to get a great workout. In fact, you may get your best workouts in Spartan training quarters. |
If that's your thing, then go for it.
Some guys play golf - other guys
lift iron. Do what you enjoy.
I should also note that you don't
need to go super hard and super
heavy in every workout after age
50 or so.
You'll do much better to cycle your
training intensity. See Gray Hair and
Black Iron for more information on
this important topic.
Also, on your non-training days it's
a good idea to stay active. Go for a
walk or a short hike - or swim or
bicycle - whatever you like - but
do SOMETHING.
As Sandow famously said, "Life is
movement." And the older you are,
the more true that becomes.
Anyhow, I hope that helps.
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. Go here to grab Gray Hair
and Black Iron:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
For Chalk and Sweat, go here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/chalk_and_sweat.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
right here at Dino Headquarters:
Hard-copy and PDF
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Kindle
http://www.brookskubik.com/kindle.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day
"It's not how LONG you train that
counts - it's HOW you train."
- Brooks Kubik
BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .
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