Workouts for over 50’s

[Katrinawaves]

I’m on holiday at the moment in North America and have found myself on a number of walking tours with women who are about 10 years older than me give or take. I’m 56 for context.

One of the things I have noticed is the posture and physical condition of a large proportion of these women - even those who are not overweight or not greatly overweight. Most have rounded shoulders and a misaligned pelvis so they appear to have a pot belly and drooping bust. Bums are flat and they have the dreaded bingo wings.

I am not in top physical shape myself for context but it has inspired me to think about my health and fitness levels to ensure that I don’t store up health problems for myself in the next few years. Currently I try to run (albeit ploddingly) a couple of times a week and to do a weekly Pilates class. I could usefully drop 20lbs too. I’m not very flexible particularly around the hip flexors.

I would be grateful for ideas on what my exercise plan should
look like. I suspect I need to pay particular attention to glutes, opening the chest and biceps/triceps. Have a range of light to medium weights at home some of which belonging to my partner - from 1kg up to 10kg dumbbells. Don’t really have time to join a gym but happy to do a video workout or to build a programme for myself.

If anyone can give me some ideas as to specific exercises/forms of exercise and frequencies to help me build a sensible programme, that would be a huge help

If you go on YouTube and look up Strength and Bloom fitness Kirsty Steel, she has a few good follow along workouts with and without weights. About 20 mins to half an hour, so I find it ideal.

I’m late 50s and have just done a year of the Curves women only gym membership but it’s just so expensive I’m trying my own strength and resistance training thing at home instead.

Best thing you could do is to get a programme specific to you, and some help to know what to do. You say you don't have time to go to the gym - at mine they'd programme you 3x1 hour sessions a week. You don't need to be there ages. Can you find that time? It will give you results that will be motivating - a YouTube video and some dumbells will be much harder to get results from if you don't know what you're doing, which then makes it much harder to sustain. A PT can help you know what to do and write a programme that meets goals specific to you, your circumstances and your body.

I’m inclined to agree with RayKray - honestly what you want to be doing is lifting as heavy as you can and the only safe way to do that is in a gym with a trainer (at least initially) to show you how. All the things you mention in your OP can be prevented by building muscle mass - as much as possible. I really feel like women our age have been sold an absolute pup with this stuff because NO ONE TOLD YOU in the 1990s how important it would be to have healthy muscle mass as we age. But it’s not too late to start.

I agree with pp. You can do high rep low weights at home but it is easy to injure yourself if you don't know what you are doing, or just not see any improvement/benefits. If you can go to a gym and either get some PT or join small group classes, you will progress faster and more safely I think. And have the chance to move onto high weight low reps, which as pp have said produces bang for buck and doesn't need to take long..

If you are doing a weekly Pilates class that is a great start. That is bodyweight strength training. Can you go twice and/or find a harder/better one one if it isn't challenging you/you are no longer seeing progress?

Running is also great cardio.

I do calisthenics, weights, and running (slow but it doesn't matter!). I'm 57 and started when I was 50 with a small group strength circuits class then moved onto heavy weights, low reps.