Tom Stormcrowe

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side.

With a 5-lb potato bag in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and then relax.

Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer. After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato bags.

Then try 50-lb potato bags and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb potato bag in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute.
(I'm at this level.)
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After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each bag.

(Remember, all, I'm 50+ too. )

late

https://www.youtube.com/user/PerformanceU

Cone Wrench

mmmmm....potatoes. Is there anything they can't do?

I was a bit concerned when you got to the 50 and 100-pound bag.

alanknm

If potatos are too much then start with rice bags.

Garilia

One exercise that a lot of 50+ do is Jumping.

As you approach the jump, listen to another person and then Jump to a conclusion as quickly as you can.
My personal best is being able to reach my conclusion before they even speak. My wife is even better at this event as she can add the Time Travel Twist. She can jump backwards to conclusions on things that happened 10 years ago, as well as reach a conclusion 5 years down the road.

My favorite exercise is the reducing 12 oz. curl.

I take a 12 oz. bottle of my favorite fermented malt beverage and gradually reduce it's weight. For increased initial resistance I move up to 22 oz. bottles. Advanced practitioners can curl tow bottles at once.

Makeitso

I'd rather ride my bike than any of the above.

waldowales

I find that pushing 71 years old is quite a bit of exercise!

Yen

Retro Grouch 

Since most of the participants on this board wear bicycle shorts, there's a way of using a potato to impress the girls.

skilsaw

I thought that trick was self evident until I saw a man with the potato in the back of his shorts.

CraigB

I'm sure there's someone who'd be impressed with this - probably a resident at the Home for the Criminally Constipated.

trackhub

How about bottles of beer? I'll start with Sam Adams cream stout, then we'll try it with repeat the exercise with a German import. (sorry, couldn't resist.)

Louis

Are you sure you're not married to MY wife? Twin sisters perhaps?

stapfam

It's obvious you are American as Most of the rest of the world has gone Metric. 25 Kilo bags are heavier than 50lb sacks so Come over here and get some "Real" effort into your training.

Retro Grouch 

We can use smaller sacks and still get the same training effect because our potatoes are bigger and heavier.

You might also consider how that fact affects my previous response.

Beverly

I wish you had told me about these exercises before I signed up for the 12 week boot camp at the Y.......this trainer is whoopin' my butt

radumas

WHOAH! Feeling the burn!

qcpmsame 

Okay Tom, I bit hook line and sinker it took reading up through the replies. True that Dumb Grunt is redundant I suppose.

Bill

miss kenton

For anyone you spends foul weather days like I do, working out with exercise dvds, I suggest something to battle the drudgery of the obnoxious drill sergeant instructors found on most. Bollywood exercise! I tried some for free today on "on-demand" tv. I started out thinking it might be too gentle. By the end, I was thinking,"I am going to feel this tomorrow!" It is an excellent lower body workout. The narrator with the soft voice and the beautifully clad women who demonstrate the moves are deceiving! They are relentless! If I can move my legs tomorrow, I am going to buy a dvd.

trackhub

Well, I'm one of the very few Americans who favors going metric, but I'm not holding my breath on it. Efforts have been made in the past to convert, but people just won't bite. I work in a place with a large machine shop. You should hear the reactions from the veteran machinists, when the anything metric comes up. I'm afraid the language used is not suitable for this family friendly forum.

Tom Stormcrowe

Kielbasa works better, though.

Terex

Good one. Makes me feel better about pushing 60, and curling 12. I did both at lunch today.

Terex

The arms extended, holding a weight thing reminded me of film from the '70's starring Jan-Michael Vincent, Baby Blue Marine. Before washing out of Marine boot camp, and going on to further adventures, there is a boot camp training scene where the recruits are all holding weights with arms extended to the side. He slips away mentally, to another time and place, and is able to hold the weights longer than anyone else. It's a very useful technique to use when climbing or during a time trial. Or for boring conference calls...