Athletic performance in your 40s?

I'm sure not everyone will agree, but if you're limited on time just get into your workout. No need to warmup or stretch first. Maybe ease into it the first five minutes, but then go for it. There are plenty of studies saying stretching before exercise is pointless.

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Originally Posted by californiagrown

When i was on paternity leave id do 2-3 20-30 min workouts per day during juniors naps. It was awesome and i was in REALLY good shape because of it. Its a tough mindset to go from training for strength and aesthetics to i guess just doing what i can, when i can for the next couple years. Ugh. Headed home at lunch today after a site meeting to get in a quick 30-40mins squat/row/pushup circuit. Im down almost 15lbs in the last year or so just from being unable to train and eat like i did previously and it sucks feeling weak... but i guess thats just how its gonna be till the kiddo gets a little more independent. He still thinks im strong AF though, so at least theres that.

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"Micro" workout means <5 minutes. Literally get up from your desk and do, say, a half leg blaster and a 2-minute plank and then go right back to work. Do this every hour-ish throughout the day.

Then there's the "nano" workouts. If you have stairs in your house bound them two-at-a-time, every time. When you go to Big Box Inc park at the far and of the lot and run to the doors. If you start looking for opportunities like this in your day-to-day life you'll find lots of them and they can add up fast. Hell, even a 30-second full body flex has benefits.

None of this will get you a squat or 5k PR, but it can keep you in perfectly respectable shape.

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Originally Posted by criscam

yea i think there'll def be limitations the next couple years but know there's an end in sight and if you can stay "par" till then, you'll be better off when you start getting after it again.
i tried to incorporate my kid(s) into my exercising when possible. put them in kid carriers for hikes, mini-tours and cutting the grass. jogging stroller for runs. got a trailer for the road bike. when i could let them run around at the playground i'd do pull-ups etc on whatever bars they had there. had them do some yoga w me etc...

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Yeah, "play-outs" were a big thing for us at that age. He loved crawling on my back for a set of weighted pushups, piggyback walking lunges, backpack hikes, etc.

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Originally Posted by The AD

I'm sure not everyone will agree, but if you're limited on time just get into your workout. No need to warmup or stretch first. Maybe ease into it the first five minutes, but then go for it. There are plenty of studies saying stretching before exercise is pointless.

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Yeah, i tried to implement that and ended up with an unacceptable injury rate. Ive got a few issues that require warmup and mobilization one way or the other- either a formal warmup/mob routine, or many, many warmup sets. E.g. doing leg blasters from cold gives bad patellar tendonitis, anything upper body needs significant shoulder mobilization stuff to minimize arthritic symptoms, etc. IF i am just going through the motions, then yeah i can go without a warmup, but if i am moving any decent weight or putting in effort, i need joints and muscles warm and supple or shit starts falling apart on me :(

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Originally Posted by californiagrown

Ugh. Im struggling to fit workouts in. Im at the desk by 6-630 each morning, and leave at 330 to pick up my 2yr old from daycare. Then its daddy time until he goes down at 7:45. So i'm kinda left with the option of 430am workouts in a coldass garage gym, or 8pm workouts in the garage knowing that i need to be in bed within 30mins of finishing the workout. After about 15 years of being pretty religous with workout consistency/quality, i have really had a hard time maintaining any semblance of either over the last year and ive picked up nagging small injuries from the gym multiple times because ill rush through a warmup trying to fit a preplanned workout into a 40min block of time ill find free... and these days i really cannot afford to be lacking on warmup/mobility stuff so my workouts arent getting any shorter. Without resetting priorities (which i think i have fairly dialed now), it seems like the only way to get back to consistency would be to WFH a few days and train on my lunch break.

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I'm doing 5 am wake up, 5:15 out the door, 5:30 walking in the gym when it opens, 45 min workout, back at the house by 6:30 and family and self out of the house by 7:15-7:30.

Not ideal, but it is what it is.

Hopefully going 3/4 time soon at work....

Any tips at getting back post COVID?
Seems that wiped me back 25 ski days and a few pushups off an already paltry set.

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Originally Posted by grskier

Any tips at getting back post COVID?
Seems that wiped me back 25 ski days and a few pushups off an already paltry set.

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I had Covid in July 2020 (early days). It took my lungs about 12 months to fully recover. I was getting heavily winded on hikes I'd never had problems with before.

As for tips, just don't get too frustrated with yourself. Take your time to work back. Push yourself, but it will come on its own time.

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Originally Posted by The AD

I'm sure not everyone will agree, but if you're limited on time just get into your workout. No need to warmup or stretch first. Maybe ease into it the first five minutes, but then go for it. There are plenty of studies saying stretching before exercise is pointless.

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Don’t do anything dynamic or plyometric in the first 15 minutes if you’re over 40. According to my orthopedic doctor your tendons and ligaments are more likely to tear before they are warmed up.

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Originally Posted by The AD

I'm sure not everyone will agree, but if you're limited on time just get into your workout. No need to warmup or stretch first. Maybe ease into it the first five minutes, but then go for it. There are plenty of studies saying stretching before exercise is pointless.

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Don’t do anything dynamic or plyometric in the first 15 minutes if you’re over 40. According to my orthopedic doctor your tendons and ligaments are more likely to tear before they are warmed up.

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Originally Posted by The AD

I'm sure not everyone will agree, but if you're limited on time just get into your workout. No need to warmup or stretch first. Maybe ease into it the first five minutes, but then go for it. There are plenty of studies saying stretching before exercise is pointless.

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Don’t do anything dynamic or plyometric in the first 15 minutes if you’re over 40. According to my orthopedic doctor your tendons and ligaments are more likely to tear before they are warmed up.

I'm sure that can't hurt, but I always question it a bit because it's not like you aren't moving around before your workout. I wouldn't hop out of bed and start doing plyo, but seems like if you've been up and moving around you should be reasonably "warmed up," right? I think it's always good advice to build into your workout, though.

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Originally Posted by The AD

seems like if you've been up and moving around you should be reasonably "warmed up," right?

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No.

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Originally Posted by californiagrown

No.

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Well, maybe not you, but I mean normal people :)

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Originally Posted by The AD

Well, maybe not you, but I mean normal people :)

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Me either. I’m 49 and learned by about age 40 to be damn near sweating before lifting. I usually ride the bike for at least 10 minutes and then do some shoulder mobility exercises before lifts.

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Originally Posted by zion zig zag

Me either. I’m 49 and learned by about age 40 to be damn near sweating before lifting. I usually ride the bike for at least 10 minutes and then do some shoulder mobility exercises before lifts.

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The AD probably doesnt even let out a groan sitting down for his morning shit.


Ive learned to not even try to put out any higher levels of effort until i at least feel physically warm. Ideally, ill have a light sweat going and 5-10mins of mobility work, plus a set or two to groove the movement prior to putting out anything close to max intensity/effort. In Skiing terms, it usually works out to getting in at least 1, but preferably 2 warmup laps before skiing hard or jumping off anything.

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Originally Posted by californiagrown

The AD probably doesnt even let out a groan sitting down for his morning shit.


Ive learned to not even try to put out any higher levels of effort until i at least feel physically warm. Ideally, ill have a light sweat going and 5-10mins of mobility work, plus a set or two to groove the movement prior to putting out anything close to max intensity/effort. In Skiing terms, it usually works out to getting in at least 1, but preferably 2 warmup laps before skiing hard or jumping off anything.

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Ok. Sure. Now you've spent a good bit of time complaining about how needy you are for your workouts when you should have just sacked up, set your goal, and found the time to get it done.

The key is adjusting that goal to fit in the time you have, not adjusting the time to fit the goal. If you need to warm up 30 min before you lift heavy then maybe lifting heavy isn't what you should be doing anyway.

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Originally Posted by grskier

Any tips at getting back post COVID?
Seems that wiped me back 25 ski days and a few pushups off an already paltry set.

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Someone tell me if there is a trick. I’m 22 days out and still feel it in my lungs and overall energy level.

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Originally Posted by Dromond

Someone tell me if there is a trick. I’m 22 days out and still feel it in my lungs and overall energy level.

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Illusion, Michael. A trick is something a whore does for money.

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Originally Posted by Mofro261

The key is adjusting that goal to fit in the time you have, not adjusting the time to fit the goal.

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Thats a good way to look at it, but polar opposite to how ive always approached things in they gym/ with fitness. The times they are a changin i guess.

I have read plenty of words related to caution and starting slow in terms of getting back into an athletic routine post-covid.

A few years ago, at age 45, a PT gave me a routine for leg strengthening (going heavy) following some atrophy due to immobilization from a broken toe. The routine started with 10 minutes of spinning as a warm-up.

(It always made me dizzy)

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Originally Posted by californiagrown

The AD probably doesnt even let out a groan sitting down for his morning shit.


Ive learned to not even try to put out any higher levels of effort until i at least feel physically warm. Ideally, ill have a light sweat going and 5-10mins of mobility work, plus a set or two to groove the movement prior to putting out anything close to max intensity/effort. In Skiing terms, it usually works out to getting in at least 1, but preferably 2 warmup laps before skiing hard or jumping off anything.

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Well let me add the caveat that my workouts almost never involve anything resembling lifting till failure. If I was doing heavy weights workouts I'm sure I'd be a little more careful in getting right into it.

This is pretty interesting. I'm terrible at warming up. Maybe 10 minutes of light work before basketball or soccer, maybe one warm up set before lifting heavy, a few minutes of biking before jumping into intervals, that's about it.

I should probably warm up more.

I rarely do much warm up at all. Kick my legs out a few times and do a few butt kicks before running. Hop on the bike and go. Show up at the trail and get started.

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Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles

A couple of things:

The overuse that gets talked about is ski touring, hiking for elk and firefighting. I go to a conditioning class once a week in Winter Park. Primarily it is middle aged (cough) folks who still get after it. Overall strength and hip mobility are a big focus.

I like yoga because is teaches body awareness and core stability. So idea generally suggest putting yoga and ski specific weight lifting at the top of the list. But daily hip health may be a requirement for you. It is for me. Otherwise I honestly can hardly walk straight.

Here are some good exersices to just maybe get started with https://www.healthline.com/health/fi...es#bottom-line

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Second the yoga here! There are some great hip sessions in 30 on yt

"... you got it buddy!"

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Originally Posted by EWG

This is pretty interesting. I'm terrible at warming up. Maybe 10 minutes of light work before basketball or soccer, maybe one warm up set before lifting heavy, a few minutes of biking before jumping into intervals, that's about it.

I should probably warm up more.

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To clarify, his advice was about doing anything dynamic/ plyometric due to the risk to tendons and ligaments. I don’t think there’s typically a lot of risk to controlled strength training unless it’s maximal speed or weight.

Lots of good warmup routines are labeled dynamic so that distinction is worth making.

Put more clothes on if you want to warmup faster. Really.

I worked on a trial whose primary outcomes were tied to change in one rep max. The protocol for those studies was singles of increasing weight until failure.