For those of you who are, or approaching, middle age and are wondering can I still build muscle after 50, might I suggest a trip to a gym in south Florida in the winter.
Because of work I have been in south Florida for the last 3 months, and while here joined a local gym. It is a very interesting crowd, in the morning especially. While the very early morning and evening crowds (I have been working out at all different times of the day) are very similar to what I would see at my mid western home gym, the late morning crowd is VERY different. At home this would be a majority of stay at home moms and Mr. Mom's who go workout after the kids have left for school. Here it is the "snow birds". Snow bird's are retired northerners who have come south for the winter.
At any given time there are 75 people in the gym of which 70 are age 62 and up. A few of them are in there doing rehabilitation for a variety of ailments but most are just people interested in getting, or staying fit. The percentage of this age who can bench their body weight plus, FAR EXCEEDS the percentage of the younger crowd and is EXPONENTIALLY HIGHER than the population at large.
I can tell by looking, for obvious reasons, those that have been training for a long time (reason enough to weight lift if you ask me), but even the relative beginners can have a huge increase in strength in a relatively short time. I have seen it first hand (remember I have been here 3 months).
Having just pasted my 52nd birthday it is VERY reassuring to see people 20 years my senior blasting 200 plus on the bench, and looking darn good doing it. Which means if you happen to be a beginner at 50, you still have potentially 20 years of productive muscle building life left.
Weight lifting over 50? Please. What does age have to do with it?
Because of work I have been in south Florida for the last 3 months, and while here joined a local gym. It is a very interesting crowd, in the morning especially. While the very early morning and evening crowds (I have been working out at all different times of the day) are very similar to what I would see at my mid western home gym, the late morning crowd is VERY different. At home this would be a majority of stay at home moms and Mr. Mom's who go workout after the kids have left for school. Here it is the "snow birds". Snow bird's are retired northerners who have come south for the winter.
At any given time there are 75 people in the gym of which 70 are age 62 and up. A few of them are in there doing rehabilitation for a variety of ailments but most are just people interested in getting, or staying fit. The percentage of this age who can bench their body weight plus, FAR EXCEEDS the percentage of the younger crowd and is EXPONENTIALLY HIGHER than the population at large.
I can tell by looking, for obvious reasons, those that have been training for a long time (reason enough to weight lift if you ask me), but even the relative beginners can have a huge increase in strength in a relatively short time. I have seen it first hand (remember I have been here 3 months).
Having just pasted my 52nd birthday it is VERY reassuring to see people 20 years my senior blasting 200 plus on the bench, and looking darn good doing it. Which means if you happen to be a beginner at 50, you still have potentially 20 years of productive muscle building life left.
Weight lifting over 50? Please. What does age have to do with it?
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