| Does
Age Affect Your Training? |
| By Scott "Old
Navy" Hults |
| In a word, yes. Age does affect your training. That's the short answer. But how it affects your training is really up to the individual. If you are 20-something, you can train until you drop, and other than being tired and maybe a little sore, the effects wear off quickly and soon you are ready to hit it again. |
| It's
not that easy if you are in your late middle age or early old age.
I am 62 years old. I worked out in the gym at least five days a week
for about 15 years. My training, while vigorous, was never
strenuous. My goal was always to stay fit. Then, about two years ago
I got the outrageous idea that I could train to prepare myself to
enter a bodybuilding contest. Now that's an idea whose time had
come. Imagine my wife's reaction when I told her the news. But, she
was supportive and so I proceeded. |
Training
for a bodybuilding competition required many hard hours in the gym,
a strict diet and a totally different life-style. Here, age makes a
difference and does have an affect.
Lifting heavy weights with "old" muscles can be dangerous
if you don't stay focused. It's easy to pull, rip, tear or stretch a
muscle during an exercise that can stop you in your tracks and end
your contest preparation on the spot. |
| I
took great care in the gym to make sure I stretched my muscles
before and after each set. I drank plenty of water during my
workouts and I never continued a lift or pull if I felt the least
twinge. I stopped the set at that point and didn't continue the
exercise. I also never lifted more than I should, just to lift. My
weight training was purposeful and therefore carefully
planned. |
| To
prepare for my first contest, I worked out 45 minutes a day, five
days a week for 10 months prior to the contest date. During that
time, I worked progressively harder each week as I grew stronger and
never suffered a single injury nor did I miss a day of training, and
my energy level remained very high. My fellow gym rats frequently
gibed, "Old Navy is pumped today." |
| I
entered my first contest ready to compete. I continued to train
vigorously for the next five months and entered a total of six
bodybuilding competitions, winning 11 trophies, including placing
third in the world in my age class at an international competition,
again, without sustaining a single training injury. |
| Simply
put, if you are 20, it's OK to act like you are 20. If you are 62,
it's not OK to act like you are 20. |
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