Frequency of muscle groups at 66 years old

[S.Clancy]

There are a few things to understand about strength (or really any training).

1. You should only be training as much as you can recover. This depends on the length and intensity of the training bout. For example, @ 25 yrs old I could hit legs and upper body 2x a week, albeit the second training session was much less intense than the first session. At 37 I can still do it 2x a week, but I really need to be mindful of what is in the 2nd session. Most times I forgo the 2nd session and hit cardio more. Remember, the timing and number of workouts is about PROGRESS. If you are not recovering, dial back on something, either intensity, frequency, duration etc.

2. Cardio will affect your ability to strength train, even as low as Zone 2. Walking or other low level recovery stuff is great tho.

3. It is better to slightly undertrain than it is to slightly overtrain. You need a "standard" for weight training where if you are not hitting it you have a built in deload.

4. Fuel yourself. @Larry Bartlett and @V2Pnutrition give good info above.

5. Know the difference between "training" and just daily activity. At your age you need to be more active, but training is different. Training is purposeful, daily activity should be a default.

 

[LostArra]

We lose 3-8% muscle per decade after we reach 30 years of age. That loss of muscle is one of the #1 factors that will determine the outcome of someone's life as they age (fall risk, ability to recover from injury, quality of life, etc.).

The very act of strength training isn't about being looking great in a cut off. The act of working a muscle also pulls on the bone...which develops the bone and makes it stronger...which reduces the risk of fractures...which means we're less likely to die the older we get (there is a 14-58% death rate within 1 year of a hip fracture in folks over 65 YOA).

This ^^^ !

Mark Rippetoe, a dogmatic curmudgeon and founder of Starting Strength, commented:
"Exactly no one is in a nursing home because they lack ripped abs or have a low VO2 max. They are there because they are weak; too weak to carry in the groceries or get off the toilet. Weakness can be fixed"

Of course then he went into an entertaining rant about how he could close down half of the nursing homes if the residents did strength training 3 hours per week rather than playing canasta and bingo

 

[*zap*]

everything on how often to train depends on how hard your pushing yourself.

I know a guy who just turned 60 and he works out 2x a day m-f and once a day on weekends.

He is soft....does nothing hard or heavy. Recently he started to 'go lighter'...

So if your hard and follow his schedule your going to burn out pretty fast...now if you talk to him he is training hard 12-13 times week.....

@ 65 just starting you better have a good plan, good instruction & proper form and a firm grip on reality. 8-10 hrs sleep a night, good supplements, good nutrition and good days off.

I see a good amount of older guys join and then you really do not see them after a while....

 

[180ls1]

Also, the lowest-hanging fruit here is likely cutting out drinking. Alcohol is a neurotoxin. You'll be amazed how much easier life is without it.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Finally, don't forget your diet. Most people have found that going to some form of Keto is highly effective since you'll be losing weight as your muscles become stronger.

Instead of doing keto, why not just count macros?

 

[180ls1]

Instead of doing keto, why not just count macros?

Yeah, thats a better suggestion IMO for most people.

Jumping into cardio 5x a week, weight training, and KETO is a ton for someone who has never worked out to take on all at once. It's essentially a perfect recipe for failure.

That's why I recommended just starting by dropping booze, if any diet modifications at all.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I am a little younger (40’s), and do a PPL split. I try and do 6 days a week, but I always lift at least 3 and get the Push, Pull, Legs in.

My cardio is 10-15 min before I lift to warm up.

 

[jimh406]

I apologize if this is too frank. I just would hate to know the truth, not say anything, and an FNG searches this 5 years from now and think "ahhh! My answer for better progress is to workout less...." when that simply isn't the case.

It’s not frank. It just demonstrates a complete misinterpretation of my post.

I don’t think anyone “except maybe you” thinks workout less to make progress means there isn’t a point that you can do too little to make progress. That would just be silly.

 

[Night_owl]

There is a lot of good information above. This subject can get overwhelming fast. I am a big believer in a frequency of 2-3 times in 7-10 days being optimal. But you may need to start out at 1 rotation a week for a few weeks until you can start to recover better. I will say you can speed the learning curve up exponentially by hiring a personal trainer if possible.

 

[180ls1]

It’s not frank. It just demonstrates a complete misinterpretation of my post.

I don’t think anyone “except maybe you” thinks workout less to make progress means there isn’t a point that you can do too little to make progress. That would just be silly.

It's easy to strawman online, we're all guilty of it. Optimal workouts are much like caliber debates, the human factor complicates things to no end and to truly grasp the subject dozens of hours of discussion are needed.

There is "good" reason to overtrain, if you never have, you'll never know where the ceiling is. It's also risky on many fronts.

Undertraining is also "good" as it's a hell of a lot better than what he is doing now (zero) and easier to stick with for quality habit formation.

 

[180ls1]

On second thought, I think the emotionally "correct" trumps the technically "correct" answer in this scenario. We have a resolutioner swearing to go from 0 to 100. We know those resolutions almost always fail and it's not because of technical knowledge. Suggestions that promote permanent positive habit formation trump technical perfection.

I've never struggled with diet/exercise (ex-professional athlete) but many do. However, I am a member of the closest possible gym to my house/work, and when at work and I am not seeing clients I dress in gym clothes. This makes it very easy for me to lift 6x/week. When I walk my dog every AM I have a 40lb weight vest greet me at the front door. These are the things to implement as they lower the barrier to proper behavior.

 

[*zap*]

I wonder how much advice on this thread is from folks under 50 who have no clue whatsoever about what it is like to start strength training at 66.
Taking their advice would be like taking elk hunting advice from someone who never elk hunted...just knows the topic thoroughly from reading ..or taking advice about how to hunt elk on public land from someone who has only done fully guided elk hunts....with a guide at his side the whole time.

 

[BBob]

^^^Yeah I thought about that. I'm over 60 but have lifted and exercised my whole life so I really can't tell him what to do exactly either. We also don't know what he's capable of. He just might be a natural athlete that's way out of shape. All I could do was point him to a program and let him sort it out and come back with questions if needed. I do hope he finds success as the hardest part is getting off the couch to do something and maybe more so is having the discipline to keep doing it

 

[mtwarden]

I’d reinforce what frequency you lift is certainly dependent on age.

I’d also say that if strength is the goal (as it most likely is if you’re strength training ), listening to someone like Jim Wendler has to say about frequency would be probably be worthwhile.

His program hits deadlifts/squats/bench/overhead press once a week- not twice, not three times a week- once.

Strength training (if trying to get stronger) needs a progression to follow. If you’re not hitting these progression goals, then you need to take action. Deload, lighten the weights, etc.

If you’re lifting not to gain strength, then probably any program and any frequency would do.

 

[ddd-shooter]

I think the OP probably asked the question and ran…lol
It’s almost cliche.

Hopefully not though

 

[180ls1]

I’d reinforce what frequency you lift is certainly dependent on age.

If you can, you're actually better off reducing intensity and volume rather than frequency. The science is pretty clear that stimulating the muscle multiple times per week is superior.

 

[mtwarden]

If you can, you're actually better off reducing intensity and volume rather than frequency. The science is pretty clear that stimulating the muscle multiple times per week is superior.

to what?

 

[Jason Snyder]

His program hits deadlifts/squats/bench/overhead press once a week- not twice, not three times a week- once.

Strength training (if trying to get stronger) needs a progression to follow. If you’re not hitting these progression goals, then you need to take action. Deload, lighten the weights, etc.

But Wendlers 5/3/1 workout is still two days per week upper body and two days per week lower body. Am I misunderstanding what you’re trying to say? Many of your major muscle groups are still getting hit directly or indirectly 2x per week.

Completely agree on the progression goals and the deloading.

 

[180ls1]

to what?

Your post seemed to imply that you need to reduce frequency as you age. While that's one way to address recovery, the better approach is to reduce volume or intensity and keep the frequency higher.

 

[*zap*]

Volume and intensity is very important as you age. Bone density a good t #'s. I increase strength with 3x a month for body part workouts. The guys doing low intensity and low volume circuits multiple times a week never increase strength.