Exercise Routines for Men Over 50

Maybe you used to exercise a lot until work and family responsibilities took over your life, or maybe you've never really exercised at all. Either way, there's no time like the present to start exercising (again).

But where should you begin? At the beginning. Especially when you're "of a certain age," taking it slow at first will build a better foundation of strength and prevent injuries more common in older exercisers.

Build a Solid Foundation

You want to make up for lost time, so you jump into an exercise routine whole-hog. But the aches and pains get you down or you get injured, and your plans for a six-pack by age 55 are put on hold. That's not a good way to reach your goals.

The best workouts for men over 50 progress in stages. They start with developing a foundation of strength and cardiovascular fitness, then building on that as you become stronger.

At first, you're not going to build massive muscles. But creating a good foundation will set you up for the next phase of training when you work on muscle growth and building strength.

Start With Cardio

Cardiovascular fitness is important for everyone, including men over 50.

For even greater benefits, you can up this to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity each week.

Which Type of Cardio?

If you've been inactive, try getting out for a brisk 30-minute walk each day. If you're ready for something more challenging, you can up your pace to a jog, or dust off your road bike and take it for a spin.

At the gym, great cardio choices include the:

• Treadmill
• Elliptical machine
• Stationary bike
• Stair climber
• Rowing machine

When using these machines, just be sure to work out vigorously enough to break a sweat and get your heart rate up.

You can also try:

• Aerobics classes
• Power yoga classes
• High-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts
• Spinning classes

Ultimately, the best type of cardio for you is whatever you enjoy doing. Choose two or three activities and switch them up each week to stay engaged.

Build Functional Strength

A functional exercise routine is the best entry point into weight training for men over 50 years old.

Examples of functional fitness exercises include:

• Squats
• Multidirectional lunges
• Push-ups
• Pull-ups
• Step-ups
• Shoulder press

All of these exercises mimic actions you might perform in daily life, such as pressing something overhead or sitting down and getting up from a chair. They build and strengthen the muscles that help you balance and maintain good posture. But these exercises aren't just for beginners.

Start with just your body weight or light weights for the first few weeks. Do two or three full-body workouts each week, including one to three sets of 8 to 15 quality repetitions. Focus on getting the movements just right and developing muscle memory. Then, you can start to add weight.

Develop Balance, Coordination, and Agility

The ability to stand on one foot or hop out of the way of a moving object are examples of functional movements that require balance, coordination, and agility.

Each time you strength train, include a few exercises that specifically work on these components.

Some examples of exercises for better balance include:

• Squats
• Standing on one leg
• Single-leg dead lift

Coordination and agility exercises include:

• Jumping rope
• Single-leg hops (side to side and front to back)
• Grapevine
• Box jumps
• Lateral box jumps

Add Muscle and Strength

Continuing to build muscle and strength requires adding weight and increasing the frequency or volume of your workouts. However, it's important to do this gradually.

Adding too much weight or volume too quickly can lead to a lot of day-after muscle soreness and potentially cause muscle strains and joint injuries.

Getting injured more easily and needing longer recovery times are just a fact of getting older. Remember to be conservative when increasing your workouts, and never sacrifice good form and technique to lift more weight.

Another way to increase the challenge of your workouts is by adding more complexity. For example, you can combine shoulder presses with squats, called thrusters. Alternatively, pick up a kettlebell and do swings or Turkish get-ups.

Other exercises to try when you're ready include:

• Renegade rows
• Walking lunges
• Bulgarian split squats
• Hip thrusts
• Clapping push-ups

Don't Forget Flexibility and Recovery

Flexible muscles and mobile joints are one of the most important aspects of keeping your body fit and healthy. Weight training can put a lot of stress on your muscles and joints, so it's important to give them a little attention each time you work out.

Stretching

Make sure to stretch before and after each workout.

Preworkout, you can do some dynamic stretches, such as walking lunges and butt kicks, after a warm-up.

Postworkout, try static stretches by holding them for 30 to 60 seconds.

If you like yoga, try taking a few classes each week.

Mobility

Mobility exercises improve the range of motion of your joints.

Effective mobility exercises to do before and after a workout include:

• Arm circles
• Shoulder pass-throughs with a dowel
• Neck circles
• Hip circles
• Ankle rolls

Recovery

Finally, make sure to get enough rest between your workouts. Older bodies need more time to recover than younger bodies.

To practice active recovery, take days off by doing low-impact activities, like walking or biking. Also pay attention to your diet: Eat plenty of protein and fresh vegetables, and stay hydrated.

The Takeaway

• As you age, developing the right exercise routine is important for your overall health and to prevent age-related injuries.
• Start slow, then gradually increase the intensity and volume of workouts to avoid unnecessary injury and joint strain.
• Build a solid foundation with cardio and agility exercises before moving on to adding muscle.
• Make sure to stretch before and after workouts, and give your body time to rest and recover in between.