Top tips for men’s fitness over 50

Top tips for men’s fitness over 50

For many men, their forties and fifties see a downward slide in fitness levels and a corresponding rise in the appearance of bulges around the body, most notably on the stomach and chest area, with the appearance of the dreaded man boobs.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. As an ‘over 50’ myself, I can confirm that it is not only possible to maintain your fitness level and physique, but to exceed the levels you attained in your twenties. My personal goal is to make sure I am as fit at 60 as I am at 50, and there is no reason why you can’t aim for the same. But how?

Here are a few top tips to staying in shape.

It doesn’t matter if you have left it until now to start

Taking up exercise is a bit like giving up smoking, in that you begin to reap the benefits as soon as you take the first step towards a better habit. Don’t think your best days are behind you - it really is better late than never. Research funded by the British Heart Foundation, in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found a direct link between healthy ageing and the amount of exercise people take as they get older. Those who kept themselves fit were seven times more likely to have a healthy old age than people who were sedentary as they got older. And it was the case even if they only took up activity when they retired. No excuses: so lace up your trainers and get out of the door.

Alcohol gives you moobs

There is no getting away from the fact that alcohol contains a lot of calories and, if you overindulge on a regular basis, you will struggle to lose weight and ward off the paunch and moobs. If you don’t want to cut it out completely then at least cut right down. Ideally you need to allow your body and liver time to rebuild themselves, so take a week off in every three and don’t drink on more than two nights each week.

Use the rowing machine

It’s among the most overlooked items of equipment at the gym, but the indoor rower offers fantastic fitness benefits for men if used correctly and regularly. For starters, it works every part of the body. Following a structured routine on the machine will rapidly increase your cardiovascular fitness and turbocharge your metabolism. As a high-intensity activity done in short bursts it burns a lot of calories and tones abdominal muscles. It’s low impact on the joints too.

Don’t just focus on abs

There’s always a temptation to focus on your own particular weakness, but the key to boosting and maintaining fitness and tone is to work as many muscle groups as possible with a wide range of exercises and activities throughout the week. Bodyweight exercises such as squats and lunges are a great way to do this. Working the large muscle groups leads to a better hormonal response to training and a greater release of testosterone, the hormone responsible for muscle growth. Working the entire body also means you burn more calories, so it’s a winner all round.

Work on your flexibility

As we get older, changes in tendons and ligaments occur, decreasing flexibility and restricting joint movement. Decreased range of motion in the joints can impede our ability to perform exercise, so it is really important to include some injury prevention and body maintenance work in your weekly regime. Include mobility drills and plenty of static stretching after a workout to enhance recovery and performance.

Lift weights

An element of strength training is particularly important as you get older. From around the third decade of life men lose an average of a fifth of a pound of muscle a year. Beyond the age of 50 those losses accelerate to a decline of one pound of muscle every 12 months. Diminished muscle mass is likely to raise blood lipid levels (mainly fatty acids and cholesterol) and body fat, particularly the visceral fat that accumulates around vital organs, which is partly why these age-related losses have been linked to the development of obesity and heart disease. There’s plenty of evidence that weight training offsets some of the risks. Studies have shown, for instance, that middle-aged men who lift weights for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, may be able to reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes by up to 34 per cent. The other benefit, of course, is that it keeps you toned and strong.

Your body becomes more sensitive to sugar in midlife

Sugar is a hot topic at the moment and we should all be cutting down, but older men are particularly at risk from the side effects of high consumption. Your body becomes more sensitive to sugars as you reach your forties, fifties and sixties, or as your fitness levels fall. Cutting out refined sugars will give your body the opportunity to absorb a higher amount of good-quality nutrients and prompt it to use its own fat reserves more effectively. It will also mean less fat settling as love handles and around the midriff.

Have regular health tests

From 40 onwards it is vital that you keep track of changes in your health and fitness status. Like it or not, as we get older we are more prone to illness. Keeping fit is among the best means of warding off many of the killer diseases such as cancer and heart disease, but keeping tabs on your body and understanding it better is still crucial. Test your blood pressure, cholesterol, body fat and weight every few months. Address the issues that arise from the results, don’t dismiss them. The NHS offer a free annual test if you’re over 50. Make sure you take advantage.

Try playing some sport

I think it’s hugely important for men of any age to include an element of competition as one of their goals, be that a weekly game of football, squash, tennis or golf. Competition meets many of our emotional needs and the effort we put into sport is difficult to match in the gym. Never assume you are too old to take part.