Are you over 50 and really toned and fit?

@PaminaMozart - do you have any advice about how to recognise your limits? I started Caroline Girvan about 3/4 weeks ago with 2kg and 3kg weights because that’s what I had, but then upped to 5kg for lower body workouts because 3kg didn’t feel like much. But last week I put my back out during the routine - it’s feeling much better now but still a bit stiff during exercise. I want to continue with CG but want to make sure I’m doing it properly and not damaging my back. Any advice? Thanks!



I wonder if she had a dance background and at one time could do the splits or is just naturally flexible as many dance teachers, decades younger than her, I know of can't do the splits and don't have much flexibility. Though that standing split might not be quite flat on the floor.

It took me over a year to get my left leg split back (nearly 40) and I still need to stretch a lot first!

I'm waffling! It's bloody great of course.

So I did my usual yoga , followed by Caroline G’s warmup, followed by half her day 1 beginners - and only about 2/3 of the time on each exercise. I liked it though. No chat and a timer. I’m just going to rotate the first half of the first 3 beginners until I find them a bit easier - just body weight too which is a good way to start . Long road ahead I think I found them tough!

And then there's Angela Rippon...😎

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/sep/25/angela-rippon-strictly-come-dancing-splits-kai-widdrington

I'm in my 60s and fitter and more toned than I used to be but I am overweight and still have a long way to go.

However, in the exercise classes I do, there are several women my age or older who are extremely fit and toned. Gives me something to aspire to!

I'm 57 with low levels of body fat - my trainer when I suggested 23% said definitely less than than but I've not had it measured. BMI under 20
I have some lines on abs but no waist because my hips are small and my shoulders are big. Even when I was young and 7.5 stone, I didn't have much waist shape.
Weights 4 times a week with progressive overload. Since doing more weights, im less bothered about the numbers on the scale but rather what my muscle looks like. I eat a ton of protein and don't eat junk and v little sugar (basically just fruit).
I can't kid myself that I have the body of a 30 year old but I want to get older with a good amount of muscle and DM had osteoporosis.
I do a decent amount of walking with DH as a weekend activity

You would burn out, most likely.

As long as it's nutrition and exercise you're on the right path. Don't over do it and stress the body but also be as active as you can, walking is the best for not stressing yourself out. And strength training.

Mid 50s, great arms, legs and butt. I do have abs but my waist is not great, probably due to getting pregnant late 30s and having a lifetime of bad living prior to realising mid 40s that I was not immortal. I think it’s perfectly normal for any woman to have a slightly rounded tummy. Maybe if I restricted my diet so
e of it would go but one of the reasons I exercise is to enjoy great food, so I have made my peace with my small belly.

Carine Girvan has been mentioned several ti
es on this thread. She is a true game changer in home fitness. As she does functional fitness it’s also extra beneficial for over 50s to improve our balance and reduce the risk of injury from falls.

My waist was 23 inches last year when I was running 180kms/month. Had an injury. Gave up. It's no longer 23 😫 but it's definitely possible. I'm 53.

Definitely a good idea to start with low-ish weights, even if your core is strong 😀
I used my 3kg for quite a while before moving on to 5kg.
Getting new dumbbells has become a rite of passage!

I'm 59 and have a waist. I hate running, but walk a lot (commute, job, on my feet a lot at work too). I do a lot of twisting type movements which I think help with the waistline. Anything like planks and sit ups alone don't do it for me. But we're all different.

I also only have 3kg weights so I was thinking of going through with them / without them initially and not add bigger weights until I’m sure my form is correct

@PaminaMozart I’ve done yoga every day for 2 years now and swim 2k x3 a week so hopefully my core can hold up - just !

I'm a huge fan of Caroline Girvan - she, along with Mark Hyman's The Sugar Solution - changed my life. Caroline's workouts are tough but I find them both enjoyable and rewarding.

However, if you aren't used to working out with weights, @Taylorscat , you may want to work on strengthening your core. Try the Bowflex 3-minute plank - which I do every day - and Rebecca Louise's Best Abs and Caroline Girvan's Braced Abs and Core. Lucy Wyndham Reed's Thighs & Glutes workout is great prep for Caroline's Bulgarian lunges.

This thread has inspired me to try Caroline Girvan. I’m going to try her beginners week but only half a session a day initially so I don’t break … 15 mins yoga before and after… means I don’t have to extend my gym membership (currently swim only) and it looks more effective than me just randomly going and lifting weights .

I'm 50s and fat and unfit, if that helps?!

If you lift weights then yes you can have a great, toned figure. My personal trainer is 60 and has a lovely figure. She also has a full face because lifting weights requires you to eat more as you’re building muscle

@MistyBay thanks!! Yeah I feel pretty good. I had a super intensive role during the pandemic (responsible for leading my organisation's pandemic response) and got soooo unfit as was just working and comfort eating. I was never obese but overweight and just felt stiff and middle aged!

I am now 58 kilos (just over 9 st) and wearing clothes from 10 years ago, BMI 22.5. More importantly, I feel lean and sporty; I can see muscle tone and tendons, not soft edges iyswim.

I do have treats sometimes; tomorrow is a special day and I'll have a pizza - but that'll be the first pizza I've had since late May, and the first UPF I've had since we took the kids to an attraction for Aug bank holiday.

Still working on building stronger glutes and pelvic floor though!

I am nearly 60 and since I retired I have lost 10kilos and have a pretty good figure. I have been riding and mucking out horses every day for years and now also do about 15000 steps a day and all my own housework and gardening. Seems to work for me.

Would you possibly share the kettle bell workout you're doing? I've been doing Caroline Girvan and bodyfithyamy workouts but they can be a bit repetitive.

I'm nearly 70 and weigh 6-7 pounds more than in my 20s. BMI about 22.5. If I wear skinny jeans and a vest, superficially I have the body of a much younger woman. I'm slender, but my thighs, arms and shoulders are quite muscular - but not excessively so. No bingo wings. My abs are flat and tight, but I'll never get rid of my awful stretch marks, sadly. And my legs have some spider veins and the beginnings of varicose veins...

I work out 60-75 minutes most days. Dumbbell workouts courtesy of Caroline Girvan, supplemented with HIIT with Growingannanas. Plus lots of planks and ab work. And I walk a lot

Until the menopause I could eat anything and everything without gaining weight. These days I try to avoid UPF, sugar and refined carbs. Most days I only eat during an 8-hour window. Because I consume a fair bit of protein and healthy fats I don't feel hungry.

My mental and physical health has improved beyond what I ever hoped.

And that's great & what exercise should be about.

That's not the opening proposition you made though, and you've a massive misunderstanding around exercise / physical health.

But this is the spirit of the thread. It’s unashamedly about wanting a body like a 25 year old and if it is actually possible

You've ignored all my points about your inaccuracies 🤷🏻‍♀️

Can you have the body of a 25 year old at 50?

Well, there's no answer to that - it depends on what 25-year old or 50-year old you are using as a comparator.

But no, at 50, you can have a great body, that of a 50 year old.

Your routine however, simply isn't intense enough or extensive enough to yield much in the way of health or physique benefits.