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OCSeniorFitness.com is an affiliate of NavySEALs.com. 
 | Someday I'll put my picture here. Thank you, Sir Sean, for sitting in for me in the interim. Sean Connery's hobby of bodybuilding culminated in a bid for the 1950 Mr. Universe title, where he placed third. |
“At my age why should I care how my body looks? After all, I’m in pretty good shape, for the shape I’m in.” – Cosmo Topper Yeah, right! I think we care, but some of us are just too lazy and use our age as an excuse to look our age (or something like that). Anyway, you must care, since you’re here reading this Web page. Non-trivial trivia: Physically inactive people suffer a loss of about 0.5 percent of muscle mass every year between ages 25 and 60. From age 60 on, the rate doubles, to about 1 percent. It doubles again at age 70, again at age 80 and then again at age 90. These lean tissue losses are replaced 2:1 with fat (Gallagher D, Visser M, De Meersman RE, et al. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass: effects of age, gender, and ethnicity. J Appl Physiol 83:229-239,1997). Generally, between ages 30 and 50, you lose 15 pounds of muscle while gaining 30 pounds of fat!
Welcome, and thank you for visiting. I’m a personal trainer specializing in strength-training men over forty. As a 64-year-old hard-gainer who’s trained for forty years, I can assure you, I pretty much know how to produce results. And I’m here to tell you that it’s never too late to roll out of that couch, grab your socks and drop your clocks back a few years. Yes, it’s time to let loose your Sacred Inner Spring Chicken. How? Weight training. That’s right, barbells (and maybe some machines) are, by far, your best bet for metamorphosing into that super-heroic, senior action figure that would impress even your wife. [By the way, if you happen to be under forty, be advised that even though I specialize in male Baby Boomers and beyond, it’s just a specialty – not an obsession: openings permitting, I’ll train you whatever your age or gender. -rr]
 “What! Weight training? At my age! You gotta be kidding!”
Well, you’ll have to take my word that I don’t look like I’m kidding. Seriously, many men associate bodybuilding and weight training with young gym rats determined to spend their life pumping iron with no particular end result except to get bigger and more muscularly defined. Yet when combined with specific training routines, dietary requirements and a lot of willpower, weight training – also known as resistance training and strength training – can enable you safely and successfully to sculpt your body regardless of your age and without dedicating your life to the gym. (I weight-train only twice a week.) At every age, muscles get stronger and bigger with the right kind of exercise. AS SEEN ON TV! More than a talk show, The OC Body will entertain, educate, intrigue and inspire you to new levels of health, fitness, nutrition, wellness and personal development with a unique “OC” flair. 
The OC Body airs on the Healthy Living Channel and reaches 15 million homes. The Healthy Living Channel is a division of Turner Media Group and is available on Dish Satellite channel 223, and in various local cable markets. Phoenix, AZ can enjoy The OC Body on Cox Cable. |
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Yes, every weight training study done on geriatric subjects shows that strength and size increases at every age. But forget all the talk about soup can exercises! To get your body to reverse the normal age-related wasting away of your muscle structure and strength (sarcopenia), you must start building again. This means training with weights at levels that cause muscle growth – anything less is a waste of time and effort. I advocate the use of weights heavy enough to stimulate muscle growth (without injury), along with the right nutrients to push their growth, and proper rest to let them recover and grow quickly. Stronger is better, and at any age you can make significant gains.
But how do you research, develop and carry out an evolving and responsive training, eating and supplement plan in addition to everything else in your life? You may start down this path and try hard, but you have too much going on already to devote yourself to this rigorous task. Well, you know what? I’ll respectfully submit that when you don’t have the time to work out is when you really need to work out – for both your mental and physical well-being. Especially when your teeth are getting longer and your stride is getting shorter.
So how long does it take, and what sort of regimen is required to carry out this physical character change? With the right genetics and previous weight training experience, you could achieve noticeable results in just a few weeks. It’s amazing how quickly you can recoup a huge percentage of what you once had, even after years of being away from the gym. Otherwise, you’re probably looking at several months of hard work before people begin to take notice and make comments like, “Hey, pops... lookin’ buff! How long ya been workin’ out?” (My personal favorite is “...that’s what I wanna look like when I’m your age!”)
 And if you aren’t significantly experienced with weight training, enlisting a qualified personal trainer will speed things up and prevent injuries. Even the most minor of injuries can bring your progress to the proverbial screeching halt. Yet even if you are experienced, that experience probably isn’t appropriate for you now. Again, a personal trainer, one certified as a senior fitness trainer, is the way to go, for both safety and quick results. Try to find one close to your age, and make sure you choose a trainer who looks the part: you know, one who looks like the After and not the Before – one who brags about his age, rather than uses it as an excuse.
As for the regimen: Weight training is a serious and complex business. And the inevitable changes in metabolism and hormone levels enjoyed by Baby Boomers don’t make the task any easier! You can’t just pick up the barbell, do a few lifts, sweat a few pints and achieve a physique of the style you desire. Hey, if it were that easy, you’d be there already, and we personal trainers would be stuck in Iraq. No, it’s much more than that – it’s practically a science (or, at worst, a black art). This is why a personal trainer is your best bet, to get you started, at least.
Beginning weight training in the second half of life is not a challenge to be taken on by girly-men. However, if you are serious about changing your body shape, losing (or gaining) weight and defining those muscles so that your body is something to be admired and not hidden, then serious motivation, determination and concentration are prerequisite. Indeed, the real challenge takes place between your ears! A lot of your success in completing the challenge will be due to clearly defined goals, a determination to succeed in your objectives, and the right attitude.
(Actually, research has shown that the right attitude, the attitude of a winner, raises testosterone levels, which encourages muscle growth. Unfortunately, you can’t fake that kind of attitude; however, as the little successes snowball, the attitude will come automatically. But don’t let those successes go to your head; nobody likes a well-proportioned meathead!)
INTERACTIVE
How Healthy Are You?
Here are 11 questions designed to help you assess your lifestyle and find out what kind of shape you are in. |
As you may have sensed by now, my primary interest is body sculpting,† so my training methods and nutritional advice are intended more to enhance your body’s appearance than to upgrade your health. But improved health and general fitness may be a welcomed byproduct (see sidebar): You don’t merely grow muscles. With the increased demand on your body’s anabolic and repair mechanisms, every bodily function increases its activity and works toward meeting the demands. Your whole being works better. After you start this reversal, all your organs function better. You’ll be stronger, straighter, faster and more self-assured. People will think you’re years younger – and you’ll feel that way. A recent study even shows that strength training can help reverse the aging process at the cellular level (Newsweek article). Indeed, exercise is a fountain of youth. Millions have discovered it – it’s the secret to feeling better and living longer. Finding a program that works for you and sticking with it can pay big dividends. A regular exercise program that includes lifting weights can prevent or delay diabetes and heart trouble. It can also reduce arthritis pain, anxiety and depression. It can help older people stay independent. If you do have a medical condition such as arthritis or multiple sclerosis, lifting weights can be a godsend. You can rely on strength training to keep you strong where once all your strength was gone. And how about these side-effects: your bone density increases, your immune system is bolstered and your fat melts away. | The American Heart Association and the Mayo Clinic recommend strength training for women and men of all ages. |
Certainly both health and appearance improve when you shed excess pounds. And no doubt you're aware, diet and exercise are both essential for quick and lasting weight loss. But did you know, even though aerobic training seems to be the “official” exercise for losing weight, strength training is even more effective (again, see sidebar)! You see, aerobic training burns calories mostly while you’re doing the exercise, but strength training burns calories mostly after the exercise, as your muscle mass increases. Since muscle tissue is eight times more biologically active than fat, the enlarged muscle fibers provoke a permanent speedup of your metabolic  rate (BMR). This means the bigger your muscles the more fat you sizzle away – even while you're watching Fox News. That's why strength training is the most effectual form of exercise for girth control. And, of course, there's the added benefit of visual appeal. Now, if you’ll bear with me a moment, I’ll give you one example of why exercise, especially weight training, is important in conjunction with diet for effective weight loss. Suppose you were fairly solid when you were 30, but you’ve been pretty much inactive since then, and now you’re 50. As I mentioned near the top of this page, you’ve probably lost about 15 pounds of muscle and gained about 30 pounds of fat. So now you’re 30 minus 15, or 15 pounds over your age 30 weight. You decide you want to lose those pesky 15 pounds, and you opt to diet only and not include exercise. (Note that even though your scale says you’re only 15 pounds over, you’re actually carrying an extra 30 pounds of fat.)
But when you lose weight only by restricting calories (or popping alli®) and not exercising, as much as half that weight loss includes lean tissue (muscle). This means when you lose those 15 pounds and your weight is back to where it was when you were 30, about 7 of those lost pounds were muscle. So now you’ve lost a total of over 20 pounds of muscle since you were 30 and gained over 20 pounds of fat, and your weight is back to “normal.” This can’t look all that great in a full-length mirror. And to add insult to injury, by losing an additional seven or so pounds of muscle, you’ve decreased your metabolic rate even further, making it even more difficult to to maintain that age 30 body weight.
Yet exercising while dieting helps prevent that muscle loss. And if the exercising includes strength training, you'll even add muscle, with amounts depending on the degree of dieting and exercise intensity. This is where proper guidance is required.
My methods are all about strength training. With respect to your cardiovascular fitness, and with all due respect to you, you don’t need a trainer to show you how to walk, jog or ride a bike. As I mentioned earlier, my main interest is body sculpting. But you’ve got to admit, the potential health benefits I’ve been talking about are a hell of a side-effect (read selling point) of the sculpting process. Not to mention the more immediate benefits of feelings of well-being born of increased strength throughout your body. (If you want to experience the meaning of “spring in your step,” try a couple weeks of T-bar rowing or barbell deadlifting – properly supervised, of course.) And let's not forget self-defense. Granted there are several techniques that require minimal strength to, say, crack an attacker’s collarbone or crumple his nose, but let’s stay real here: it would be nice if you could deliver those blows using your telekinetic powers, but practice as you may, I doubt the results will be worth writing home about. In the real world, 90-plus-year-old men and women are getting their heads bashed by young, carbon-based low-lifeform, living garbage – obviously for fun, since the perps could have taken what they wanted and simply walked off. I won't continue on about self-defense here, as this blurb is getting too long as it is. But suffice it to say the obvious: physical strength is a force multiplier – unexpected technical ability coupled with unexpected strength gives you a fighting chance.
My goal here is to convince you that the older you get, the more you need to be working with weights to constantly improve your strength and bodily functions. Indeed, weight (strength) training provides everyday, functional strength that works wonders to help you with activities of daily living, like yard work and moving furniture, without gasping for air and pooping out within minutes. Such activities can also put your back in a compromising position. But when you lift weights, you strengthen your upper and lower body, which reduces strain on your back when you're forced to lift heavy loads.
But it’s not always the occasional heavy load that may take a toll on your back: You’ve heard the stories about people who “threw out” their back doing otherwise normal, easy movements like reaching for the remote. (That may be an exaggeration, but I’ll bet it’s happened.) This may occur when you have weak core muscles. These are the lower back, abdominal and other muscle groups around your hips and waist. They allow your upper and lower body to share power and work as one harmonious unit. A weak core limits this coordination, predisposing you to injury. And most people do have weak core muscles, even many apparently strong people.
Yet many have come to realize this shortcoming and pursue “core training” to correct it. Oddly, core training seems to be something of a fad these days. (If, according to Lewis Black, equestrian is the gayest word in the English language, then core training is the gayest pair of words.) You wouldn’t believe some of the strange configurations, sometimes involving huge balls and even weights, that some people in the gym put themselves into while doing core training. Indeed, many are profiting from the fad by selling books and videos that make you expend excessive time and energy on complex exercises for muscle groups that require only one of the most basic weight-lifting movements for the best results: deadlifts. That’s right, few people – including personal trainers – understand that the most effective core training exercise is the deadlift with a barbell.
[For you physical therapists and chiropractors, here’s one of the reasons this is true. After the descendent-eccentric phase of the deadlift in which you inhale and then retain the air (apnea state) for the execution of the upward-concentric phase, the exhalation is performed concomitant with the closing of the glottis and all the abdominal orifices (the Valsalva Maneuver). This increases the pressure inside the thoraco-abdominal cavity and precipitates an energetic abdominal contraction. Note that, because of the use of multiple repetitions during the exercise, the Valsalva Maneuver intensity is mild and hence insufficient to induce cardiac arrhythmias. -rr]
My point here is that a strong core is yet another beneficial by-product of a well-designed, general weight-training routine. “Ultimately, the best defense against backache is a set of strong back muscles.” |
Core exercises, properly supervised, are especially valuable for anyone, at any age, particularly prone to backache. Weight training not only strengthens the back against everyday strains, but builds up a reserve of strength, a kind of muscular bank account on which to draw when you subject your back to such special strains as lifting a heavy package from the trunk of a car. Ultimately, the best defense against backache is a set of strong back muscles. I could go on and on, but you’ve already probably learned a couple things here for free that most pseudo-trainers don’t even know. So let’s get down to business: My initial in-home consultation fee is $150. The fees for training after that depend on several factors, including your current physical appearance versus your expected improvement and where around Newport Beach you’re located. And since I believe trainer-client contracts are ridiculous, suggesting, among other things, the trainer’s lack of confidence in his methods or, possibly, his anticipation of client dissatisfaction, you pay as we go. 
| | Dumbbell use encourages unbalanced movements, potentially injurious to beginners with untrained core muscles. |
To train at home, you’ll need a flat bench (preferably adjustable) and a barbell (no dumbbells). You provide those two basic items, as I don't sell anything but my services and I’m not a traveling gym. You must be in good health or have your doctor’s permission to begin a weight-training regimen, especially if you're over 45 or have a history of heart problems, high blood pressure, diabetes or lower back pain. If you have symptoms that could be due to a chronic disease, you should have these symptoms evaluated, whether you are active or inactive. Symptoms of particular importance to evaluate include chest pain (especially chest pain that is brought on by exertion), loss of balance (especially loss of balance leading to a fall), dizziness and passing out (loss of consciousness).
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The physical activity readiness questionnaire (PAR-Q) will help you determine if you should check with your doctor before you start. If you are aged 69 years or older and are not used to being active, check with your doctor. Common sense is your best guide when you answer these questions. Please read the questions carefully and answer each one honestly. The PAR–Q & You Questionnaire ( PDF).
You can email me personally at RRogers@NavySEALs.com, or you can use the Contact Us page, for extra security. If I’m not accepting new clients at the time, I can still answer your questions, maybe give you some advice, pro bono, or refer you to another trainer. Also, you may want to ask about my online training option, which will be available soon.
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