Bodybuilding Programs for Seniors

Bodybuilding isn't just for the young and sprightly -- people of any age can turn their hand to bodybuilding. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adding weight training to your current regime can help reduce your risk of diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis and obesity and manage lower-back pain. You lose muscle mass as you age, writes Dr. John Berardi in "The Metabolism Advantage," which leads to a lower metabolic rate and increased fat gain. But just 2 days of bodybuilding training each week can improve your health and well-being.

  1. Starting Out

    • Before you begin your bodybuilding adventure, get full medical clearance from your health care provider, advises trainer Lisa Sutton. Find a gym with a range of free weights, resistance machines and cardiovascular equipment and get help from a trainer on how to use everything. Ask the trainer to teach you the form on basic exercises such as squats, lunges, deadlifts, push-ups, bench presses, dumbbell rows, chin-ups and pulldowns. These exercises might sound daunting, but with the help of a good trainer, you'll be competent in no time. You needn't rush either. Take your time, start with light weights and work your way up as you feel comfortable. Start with two full-body sessions each week. Include two lower-body and four upper-body moves in each workout.

    Lower Body

    • For your lower body, perform one pushing exercise, such as a squat or lunge, and one pulling movement, like a deadlift or leg curl. The pushes work the quadriceps muscles on the front of your thighs, and the pulls work the hamstrings and glutes on the back of your thighs. As well as building muscle, performing these leg moves will help you when climbing stairs, walking and performing everyday tasks.

    Upper Body

    • For your four upper body moves, choose two that work your chest, shoulders and triceps -- push-ups and shoulder presses, for example -- and two that work your back and biceps, such as pulldowns and seated rows. Strengthening your upper body will help you with carrying groceries and pushing yourself up from a sitting position, and a stronger chest, back and shoulders may mean you can perform manual tasks that you thought were beyond you.

    Program Notes

    • The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that older adults complete one to three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions on each exercise. Use a weight that’s challenging, but keep perfect form. Start each workout with 5 minutes of light cardio, such as walking or an easy cycle on a stationary bike, then warm your muscles up by performing dynamic movements such as arm swings, bodyweight squats and shoulder shrugs. Before launching into your main sets, complete one or two warm-up sets of 10 to 15 using a weight that's around half what you intend to use for your working sets. Cool down at the end with another 5 minutes of easy cardio, plus stretches for all the muscle groups you've just worked. Leave at least 48 hours between workouts to let your muscles recover.

    Training Considerations

    • Should you find any exercise painful or uncomfortable, switch to another move that works the same muscles. If deadlifts hurt your lower back, for example, either due to poor posture or previous spinal injuries, try glute bridge raises or dumbbell deadlifts instead. If you're completely new to strength training, getting the help of an experienced trainer is even more critical. You may benefit more from just learning bodyweight moves, such as squats to a bench or push-ups on your knees, before moving on to weighted exercises.

    Lifestyle Considerations

    • Nutrition is equally as important as training. Protein is a key component of building muscle, and Sutton recommends starting out consuming a 1/2 gram of protein per pound of body weight each day and aiming to increase this to 1 gram per pound. You lose muscle as you age, but adequate protein will not only help prevent this, it will also aid in building it back up. Focus on foods like chicken breast, lean beef, cottage cheese, eggs and beans. If you’re not building muscle, increase your calorie intake slightly until you are. Eat at least one serving of fruit, one serving of vegetables and one serving of whole-grains at each meal too.