Originally Posted by
rumrunn6
*****3nin.vend3t ~ nice assortment than you listed. I'm a big fan of body weight exercises but if you're not slender it can take a bit of work to develop a routine. I do a 5x5 program and I'm in and out of the gym in less than an hour. I'm not a racer but I like what the combination of cycling; swimming and weight training is doing for my body. I'm 50 but in the right light I looked better than I did at 23. no the right light isn't complete darkness! ha! :-)
I'm really happy with my dips right now.
50 years old. You got my respect. Jeez, I'm hardcore, but don't know if I'll be upto it at that age. Might be time for me to lean back.
I'm quite a fan of bodyweight exercises too (dips, push ups, pull ups) etc, performed with perfect form but the hardcore seem to do these weighted. You should also try out the hand cycle for upperbody, I'm impressed, really impressed, hits almost everthing.
The 5x5 program is good, because of its simplicity:
• Do 5 sets of 5 reps with the same weight
• Add 5lbs/2.5kg total weight each workout until you can't get 5 reps on all 5 sets anymore
• Take 10% weight off for the exercise you stalled on only, continue adding weight on the other exercises
• Continue adding 5lbs/2.5kg total weight each workout until you stall again
• Repeat this 1 step back, 2 steps forward approach until you can Squat close to 1.5x your body-weight for 5x5
• Strength. You can lift faster & lift more weight using 5 reps vs. 8. Lifting fast recruits more muscle fibers and lets you use heavier weights. Lifting heavy stresses yourbody more.
• Progressive Loading. Always lifting the same weight causes strength loss. You have to add weight systematically to get stronger and build muscle. It’s easier to add weight eachworkout doing 5 reps vs. 8.
• Short, Efficient Workouts. The 5×5 method uses compound exercises like Squats that hit several body parts at the same time. This keeps the workouts brief, but intense. Great if you’re short on time.
Madcow & Starting Strength have increased the popularity of the 5×5 method in recent years.Tens of thousands of lifters have done it with success. And while 5×5 isn’t the only way to train,it’s proven efficient, especially for beginners.