Summary: After the age of 50 it’s still possible to build muscle and lose fat—but there are certain physiological realities (especially hormonal realities) to keep in mind! Episode 008 was all about providing a bird’s-eye-view of some of these realities, and what to do to make the most of your body after age 50.<br> <br> Scott calls fitness after 50 the “Platinum Club.” That is, these don’t have to be your “golden years.” If done right, these can be the platinum years!<br> <br> ♦ PHYSIQUE AFTER 50 GENERAL NOTES ♦ <br> <br> • Scott emphasized the dangers of too much cardio when you’re dealing with sarcopenia and muscle loss.<br> <br> • People wonder why they’re finding it hard to keep up with their kids when they’re doing X number of minutes on the treadmill each day or week, but the exercise they’re doing on the treadmill isn’t giving them the kinds of physiological adaptations they clearly want from exercise. They’re missing strength and the ability to exercise their muscles through their intended ranges of motion.<br> <br> • Even a bodyweight squat by itself will build a lot of strength.<br> <br> Strength needs to be built through a muscle’s full range of motion, otherwise you’re inviting problems down the road. Don’t add resistance BEFORE you’re able to move the muscle through the full range of motion.<br> <br> • Warm ups are very important! See the videos at scottabelfitness.com/warmups (that link redirects to a Youtube video).<br> <br> • A proper warm up includes “general preparation” phase that warms up the body, and then actual physical “rehearsal” of the movements you’ll be doing that day. Think warm up sets, that kind of thing. (Again, see the vids.)<br> <br> • Scott has had clients whose entire leg workout was unloading the knees, precisely because of the importance of range of motion.<br> <br> • Mike mentioned some studies related to cognitive decline. These can be found in John Ratey’s book, Spark! The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. <br> <br> • Scott is a big fan of HRT as a way of enhancing quality of life. Do research, talk to your doctor.<br> <br> • Mike mentioned Scott’s “Base Hit” strategy, where you intelligently go for “base hits” instead of “home runs” every time you step into the gym. Consistency trumps going all-in, then having to stay out of the gym for a week. This is called “active recovery.”<br> <br> ♦ LINKS / RESOURCES MENTIONED ♦<br> <br> • Warm Ups Part 1: General Preparation Phase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHJFV13Njsk<br> <br> • Warm Up Part 2: Physical Rehearsal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHXYvxAU-Hw<br> <br> • Unloading the Knees: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mQsVp5TWnk<br> <br> • Scott’s initial Physique Over 50 blog post: http://scottabelfitness.com/fitness-and-physique-over-50/ (Scroll down for the comments.)<br> <br> • The Base His Strategy: http://scottabelfitness.com/basehit<br>
