Posted: 7/26/2013 4:23:17 AM EDT
| So, I am ~250 lbs, 45 years of age...After a high intensity workout such as crossfit, high intensity cardio followed by weights, or a long bike ride (30 miles), should I be taking the following day off and not be doing any high intensity stuff? Afraid that at my age and in my condition I may end up stressing or damaging something such as a joint. |
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Like stated above, start slowly, but there is absolutely no reason why you can't work up to much more than that. We have a 52 year old competitor in my gym that works out 5 days a week, with 2-3 of those being two a days. She's incredible. We have "normal" people who come to the regular classes every day of the week and range in age from 50-70. Don't START there, but you can absolutely work up to it. 45 isn't that old, don't use it as an excuse. ETA- we have a South African guy who was about 70# overweight and late 40s start coming in. He was in the gym every day. He couldn't even run 100m when he started. He's now doing most RXd and has lost about 50#...so YMMV.
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I"m old too (45) and it takes a LOT longer to recover than it used to (back in my 20's)
I lift 5 or 6 days a week, ride my bike, etc, but I don't do crazy all the time, you simply can't go heavy all the time, takes time to recover. I also had to split up my workouts to give it time to recover. I also have found that less is more. I make more progress with fewer more intense sets of concentrated work than simply going thru the motions just to do the big set. A lot of the programs that have sprung up in the last 20 years (531, SS, SL) all reflect this, much lower volume of work than we used to do back in the day with better results. I also find that recovery methods such as massage, foam rolling, stretching, naps/extra sleep are not just good ideas anymore, they are necessary to continue to make progress at this pace. And sometimes you just need to take a day or week off and totally deload. Yoga (yeah, yoga) has made a big difference in my flexibility (and improved my lifting). Once a week class makes a big difference in how good I feel. Seriously, try it. #1 rule of lifting when you are old: don't get injured!!!! |
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Quoted:
I"m old too (45) and it takes a LOT longer to recover than it used to (back in my 20's) Quoted:
I"m old too (45) and it takes a LOT longer to recover than it used to (back in my 20's) Yeah...Up till the past two weeks my exercising has really been moderate in terms of intensity..I just have not been pushing myself. However over the past two weeks I have pushed myself harder on longer (30 mile) bike rides, and have done longer, more intense sessions on the elliptical...I've noticed that the day after I just didn't have the energy levels to do much of anything except something very light, like a 1-2 mile walk or leisurely bike ride. Quoted:I lift 5 or 6 days a week, ride my bike, etc, but I don't do crazy all the time, you simply can't go heavy all the time, takes time to recover. I also had to split up my workouts to give it time to recover. I also have found that less is more. I make more progress with fewer more intense sets of concentrated work than simply going thru the motions just to do the big set. A lot of the programs that have sprung up in the last 20 years (531, SS, SL) all reflect this, much lower volume of work than we used to do back in the day with better results.
I also find that recovery methods such as massage, foam rolling, stretching, naps/extra sleep are not just good ideas anymore, they are necessary to continue to make progress at this pace. And sometimes you just need to take a day or week off and totally deload. Yoga (yeah, yoga) has made a big difference in my flexibility (and improved my lifting). Once a week class makes a big difference in how good I feel. Seriously, try it. #1 rule of lifting when you are old: don't get injured!!!! Yeah, yoga is on my list of things to get into once I shed some pounds... |
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Quoted:
Yeah...Up till the past two weeks my exercising has really been moderate in terms of intensity..I just have not been pushing myself. However over the past two weeks I have pushed myself harder on longer (30 mile) bike rides, and have done longer, more intense sessions on the elliptical...I've noticed that the day after I just didn't have the energy levels to do much of anything except something very light, like a 1-2 mile walk or leisurely bike ride. Yeah, yoga is on my list of things to get into once I shed some pounds... Quoted:
Quoted:
I"m old too (45) and it takes a LOT longer to recover than it used to (back in my 20's) Yeah...Up till the past two weeks my exercising has really been moderate in terms of intensity..I just have not been pushing myself. However over the past two weeks I have pushed myself harder on longer (30 mile) bike rides, and have done longer, more intense sessions on the elliptical...I've noticed that the day after I just didn't have the energy levels to do much of anything except something very light, like a 1-2 mile walk or leisurely bike ride. Quoted:I lift 5 or 6 days a week, ride my bike, etc, but I don't do crazy all the time, you simply can't go heavy all the time, takes time to recover. I also had to split up my workouts to give it time to recover. I also have found that less is more. I make more progress with fewer more intense sets of concentrated work than simply going thru the motions just to do the big set. A lot of the programs that have sprung up in the last 20 years (531, SS, SL) all reflect this, much lower volume of work than we used to do back in the day with better results.
I also find that recovery methods such as massage, foam rolling, stretching, naps/extra sleep are not just good ideas anymore, they are necessary to continue to make progress at this pace. And sometimes you just need to take a day or week off and totally deload. Yoga (yeah, yoga) has made a big difference in my flexibility (and improved my lifting). Once a week class makes a big difference in how good I feel. Seriously, try it. #1 rule of lifting when you are old: don't get injured!!!! Yeah, yoga is on my list of things to get into once I shed some pounds... This is called active recovery and is the best type of recovery as it increases blood flow but does not wear the system and components down. It can be any activity that is easy and light. Over time you'll find your energy will increase and you can do more than you thought. However, because you are getting older it does not mean you cannot get stronger and see gains similar to those half your age, studies are starting to show increased strength and muscle in older populations if they exercise at appropriate intensity levels. As you get into better shape you will find that you can recovery quicker as well. |
| Each person is different. There is no set recovery time per say. You have to know your body enough as far as how much time you need before you're ready to go. If it's just weights, I lift 2 days on then take a day off then repeat. If I throw mountain biking in there- I'm going to need anywhere from at least 1 day to recover from light cycling or if I did an endurance race I'll need about 3 days to recover before doing anything remotely like a workout. But that's my body |