Over 50

There''s an unfortunate tendency for people younger than age 50 to lump everybody over the half-century mark into one group labeled "older." This presupposes that a man who''s 51 will identify with—and more or less be the same as—a man who''s 71. No doubt you''ve noticed by this chapter''s heading that we''re guilty of such unfair categorizing ourselves.

There''s justification for this, however, and it''s as follows: A 71-year-old man actually may be similar to a 51-year-old man in terms of fitness. The fact is, the older you get, the more difficult it is to generalize about what''s typical, because your individual limitations and problems, your individual habits and your individual fitness history—all increasingly important—could make you vastly different than another man your age.

Take, for example, Hank Kiesel, who''s in his late sixties, of St. Louis, Missouri. Kiesel runs five to seven miles three or four times a week and exercises as often as twice a week on a rowing machine. Periodic measurements show that his heart and lungs work as efficiently as they did in 1988, when he started exercising regularly shortly after retirement.

"The latest tests showed a slight increase in my VO₂ max," Kiesel says. (VO₂ max is a measure of how much oxygen your body can consume during extreme exertion; it is considered one of the best ways to read your aerobic capacity.) With age, "you don''t necessarily start dropping off." A researcher who''s following Kiesel and other older adults as part of a study, Robert Spina, Ph.D., of the Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, has found that between ages 60 and 72, cardiovascular performance can improve by about 25 percent in nine months of endurance training. Every year, Kiesel puts himself to the test in a major rowing-machine competition held in St. Louis. In 1996, he rowed the equivalent of 2,000 meters in 7 minutes, 56.3 seconds, besting men 17 years his junior who were competing in a younger age group.

All of which goes to show that the real crime of perception isn''t when younger people think of you as older, but when you think of yourself as older, assuming—as many men do—that physical activity won''t make much difference anymore. Doctors note that physical activity tends to decline with age. Men start exercising less frequently and less vigorously. It''s easy to understand why: The body isn''t all it used to be, and trying to keep up the energy and power of younger years—or even to match the efforts of spectacular specimens like Kiesel—can be discouraging.

But the fact is, all that''s required is that exercise be challenging for you as you exist now. No, your aerobic capacity isn''t what it was when you were 30. But that doesn''t matter: The goal isn''t to regain past fitness levels, but to sustain and improve upon your current condition. There''s an elegance of design at work here in which your body''s needs are paralleled by your body''s abilities.

Maintenance is the operative word here. "After age 50, that''s the primary goal," says Carol Espel, program director for The Sports Center at Chelsea Piers in New York City. "Strength and endurance are still important, but the gains you make won''t be as great." As you become older, holding firm and steady, as Kiesel has done, becomes a form of progress. If working hard to stay in one place strikes you as futile, just ask Kiesel how he feels about it. "I hardly ever sit down," he says. "Through the whole day, I feel good. And it''s fantastic mentally to know that I can still do things like maintain the house and cut the grass with a hand mower."

Issues of Aging

The concerns we''ve discussed in other age groups—flexibility, cardiovascular health, healthful weight—are still important, of course. But there are a number of other issues to pay close attention to as you get into your older years.

* Preventing bone loss. As we''ve noted, the body starts losing bone earlier in life. But as you age, loss begins to accelerate for a number of reasons. The body becomes less able to absorb nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D, both of which are important in bone synthesis. Intake of these nutrients also tends to decline. Add these factors to a more sedentary existence, and you have extra-bad news for bones.

From a fitness viewpoint, it''s increasingly important to do weight-bearing exercises. That doesn''t mean you should lift more weights; it means you should be on your feet as much as possible so that both bones and muscles are called upon to support your body and whatever loads it carries. "The important thing is that the feet are making contact with the ground," says Benjamin Gelfand, P.T., supervisor at the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma in New York City. Walking is an excellent bone protector, as is running or even dancing—any activity that keeps you on your toes counts.

* Changing nutritional needs. Declining calcium and vitamin D synthesis aren''t the only nutritional changes that occur with age. As metabolism slows, the body also starts needing fewer calories—something you knew from your forties. But here, too, the trend accelerates with age: According to the World Health Organization, the body needs 5 percent less energy per decade between ages 39 and 59, but needs 10 percent less from age 60 to 69 and 10 percent less over age 70. That would seem to argue in favor of eating less, but paradoxically, studies also find that older people tend to take in too little of the nutrients they need. What this suggests is that it''s increasingly important for the foods you eat to be low in calories but nutrient-dense. That''s why it is important to cut back further on fat, sugar, alcohol and other "empty" calories in favor of fruits, vegetables and grains.

* Side effects from medications. Drugs you might start taking at this point in your life can have an effect on things like appetite and nutrient absorption. Just one cholesterol medication, for example, interferes with the body''s use of vitamins A, D, E and K and can cause folate deficiencies. Each drug has its own set of side effects, but this is why you should consult a doctor: He will tell you how the medications you take can affect your ability to exercise or fuel your body.

* Increased vulnerability to injury. By now, you''ve heard us talk about taking it easy so many times, we''re not going to bore you with reminders. In fact, we''re not the ones whose word you should take on what you can or can''t do, anyway. As a rule, we wouldn''t recommend that you run three times a week, but Hank Kiesel manages to do it without any problems, and every major marathon has its contingent of men well over 50. Instead, this is something you need to work out with your doctor, says Dr. Spina.

The Fifties Workout

The basic outline of the fifties workout is the same as the forties workout—a mix of strength and aerobic exercise, with one day of circuit training for combined cardiovascular and muscular fitness. One specific suggestion, however, is to be less cavalier about regular walking, which is both aerobic and weight-bearing: Try to walk for 30 minutes at least three times a week. In addition, it''s a good idea to modify some of the exercises of the Core Routine on page 121 to ensure you don''t put undue stress on joints or muscles. Here''s your Core Routine, with slight safety-minded alterations to a number of free-weight exercises, says Espel.

Modified Dumbbell Rows

The one-arm dumbbell row in the Core Routine is a safe exercise, but if you want to save a little time in order to make room for aerobic exercise or stretching, try this variation, which uses both arms at the same time, yet is easy on the back.

Sit on the edge of a bench with your feet flat on the floor and dumbbells positioned on the floor to either side. Keeping your back straight, lean forward and grab the dumbbells, holding them with your arms extended. This is your starting position.

Lift both dumbbells by pulling both arms back in a rowing motion. Try to squeeze your shoulder blades together as you lift. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Modified Bench Press

Perform the bench press as described in the Core Routine, but with one difference: To avoid stressing the anterior deltoid area at the front of your shoulder and possibly tearing a tendon or damaging the joint, bring your elbows out to the side, no lower than shoulder level during the down phase of the movement. Said another way: When your elbows become parallel to the floor, halt your downward movement and begin raising the bar back up. Make sure the small of your back is pressed into the bench.

Wall Sits

"Stay away from squats, which hit many areas of muscle but put tremendous stress on the knees," Espel says. This is a concern for much younger men as well. For a safer alternative, see the wall sits exercise described in The Twenties on page 241.

Alternating Press with Dumbbells

Perform as described in the Core Routine.

Concentration Curls

Perform as described in the Core Routine.

Seated Triceps Press

The Core Routine calls for you to do overhead extensions to work out your triceps. We''re going to make a substitution, however: Do the seated triceps press (described in Arms on page 51). The basic move with this exercise is the same as in the overhead triceps extension, but with two important differences: You''re using a dumbbell instead of a barbell, and you''re sitting instead of standing. "Dumbbells are easier to control than barbells, and you can use a lighter weight to get the same effect," says Espel.

Crunches

Perform as described in the Core Routine.