Exercises for Men Over 50

For men in their 20s, 30s, and even 40s, as far as exercise goes you can get away with ramping up the intensity and training a little recklessly. As the years tick by however, Father Time catches up with us and we’re forced to dial things back.

Once we hit 50, we begin to notice aches and pains we never really noticed before. Our joints become stiff, it takes longer to recover, and we need to accept the fact that we can’t do what we used to do decades before.

Despite things needing to change from 50 or over, exercise is still as important as ever, if not more so. Exercise is essential for weight loss and management, it promotes general health and wellness, and it’s great for boosting your mood too.

To help you get more from your workouts as you grow older, here’s a look at the 3 best exercises for men over 50.

Push ups

To help ensure that muscle hypertrophy is not an issue as you age, resistance training is important. Rather than free weights which can be bad for the joints, plyometric body weight exercises are recommended instead.

Push ups are the ultimate body weight exercise for targeting the chest muscles. They’re a compound exercise that hits multiple muscles at once. That means that as well as your pecs, you can work your triceps, deltoids, and even your core.

To perform a push up, place both palms flat on the floor, extend both legs behind you with your toes planted firmly on the floor, lift your body up by extending your arms.

Now, slowly lower your chest down to the ground by bending your elbows, holding for a second at the bottom until you can feel a deep stretch in your chest. Lock out your arms once more and repeat for as many reps as necessary.

Walking lunges

Walking lunges are fantastic for men looking to work the legs and improve their mobility.

Unilateral leg work such as walking lunges are great as they work just one leg at a time and help take some pressure and strain off the joints. They also hit your postural muscles on your back, and help work your hip flexors.

To perform walking lunges, take a set of dumbbells, grab one in each hand and then hold them straight down with arms by your sides.

Keeping your head up and your chest out, step forwards with your front leg, bending your front knee until your rear knee touches the floor.

Now, stand up straight, switch legs, and repeat. Alternate between legs for as many reps as needed.

Farmers carries

Farmers carries are great for improving your grip strength, strengthening the core, and working your triceps and traps in the process. they’re also great for cardiovascular conditioning.

To perform farmers carries, take a heavy dumbbell in each hand, brace your core, stand up straight, extend both arms down at your sides, and then stride forwards as far as you can go.

Next, lower the weights, turn around, pick up the dumbbells again, and repeat again in the opposite direction.

So, you may want to consider doing some or all of these exercises to assist you with staying  healthy and fit over age 50.