# Who first started working out late in life **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 2, 2014, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-first-started-working-out-late-in-life/680359 "2014-02-02T17:04:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-first-started-working-out-late-in-life/680359/1 "2014-02-02T17:04:36Z")
I am curious as to how the progress went for those who started working out late in life, say after age 60. I am 65 and feeel my strength and endurance starting to really fall off. I tend to get discouraged as I feel I tire out before I really get a good workout in. My thinking now is maybe I need to concentrate on less strenous but more prolonged activity and increase the strength training very gradually. Things like pushups will tire me out for several hours if I push myself too hard. Please share your experience. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-first-started-working-out-late-in-life/680359/2 "2014-02-02T17:13:31Z")
At age 62-ish I had retired and begun sitting on the couch. I had gained a bunch of weight. I hated my shape. I could not lift much. I started walking. First about 30 minutes 5 days a week, finally worked up to 60 minutes. Then after moving to TX I joined a gym as no one can walk outdoors when it’s 100 degrees out, and they have a bunch of weight machines. I started using a couple of machines three days a week. All of a sudden I can lift stuff. I can put the 30 pound bucket of cat litter in the car and take it out again without help or without strain. I’m 67 now and in better shape than since I was around 40 and had a physical job. All those years of office sitting had left me weak and tired. I think weights are wonderful because I really get fast results; if I get lazy or miss some days through being sick as I did this winter, I get it back in a short time, which is motivating. Now I usually walk 90 minutes five days a week and lift weights two or three days. I feel a lot better and as a bonus my blood pressure is down. Good luck, **HoneyBadger** , and don’t give up. You might not be in 30-year-old shape but you can for sure be stronger and healthier and have more endurance. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-first-started-working-out-late-in-life/680359/3 "2014-02-02T17:19:10Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > At age 62-ish I had retired and begun sitting on the couch. I had gained a bunch of weight. I hated my shape. I could not lift much. I started walking. First about 30 minutes 5 days a week, finally worked up to 60 minutes. Then after moving to TX I joined a gym as no one can walk outdoors when it’s 100 degrees out, and they have a bunch of weight machines. I started using a couple of machines three days a week. All of a sudden I can lift stuff. I can put the 30 pound bucket of cat litter in the car and take it out again without help or without strain. I’m 67 now and in better shape than since I was around 40 and had a physical job. All those years of office sitting had left me weak and tired. I think weights are wonderful because I really get fast results; if I get lazy or miss some days through being sick as I did this winter, I get it back in a short time, which is motivating. Now I usually walk 90 minutes five days a week and lift weights two or three days. I feel a lot better and as a bonus my blood pressure is down. > > Good luck, **HoneyBadger** , and don’t give up. You might not be in 30-year-old shape but you can for sure be stronger and healthier and have more endurance. That is very encouraging to hear. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-first-started-working-out-late-in-life/680359/4 "2014-02-02T18:59:04Z")
[This guy](http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/apr/02/i-am-a-90-year-old-bodybuilder) started at 85 and made significant improvements. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-first-started-working-out-late-in-life/680359/5 "2014-02-02T19:11:08Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > [This guy](http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/apr/02/i-am-a-90-year-old-bodybuilder) started at 85 and made significant improvements. That guy was amazing! I imagine he is just an average guy geniticaly. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-first-started-working-out-late-in-life/680359/6 "2014-02-02T19:17:08Z")
While I don’t have relevant personal experience to offer perhaps you’d be interested in what the experts say. This from the [Position Statement of the American College of Sports Medicine:](http://www.chap.uk.com/pdfs/Exercise_and_Physical_Activity_for_Older_Adults.pdf) Evidence category A is the highest rated evidence. > [@](#): > > Evidence category A. Advancing age is associated with physiologic changes that result in reductions in functional capacity and altered body composition. So yeah, what you are experiencing is the norm. But the good news follows - > [@](#): > > BENEFITS OF EXERCISE TRAINING IN PREVIOUSLY SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS … > > … Evidence category A. AET [aerobic training] programs of sufficient intensity (≥60% of pretraining V˙O2max) [moderate intensity], frequency, and length (≥3 d·wk−1 for ≥16 wk) can significantly increase V˙O2max in healthy middle-aged and older adults. … > > … Evidence category A. Older adults can substantially increase their strength after RET. [Resistance training] … > > … Evidence category C. Multimodal exercise, usually including strength and balance exercises, and tai chi have been shown to be effective in reducing the risk of noninjurious and sometimes injurious falls in populations who are at an elevated risk of falling. … > > … A combination of AET and RET activities seems to be more effective than either form of training alone in counteracting the detrimental effects of a sedentary lifestyle on the health and functioning of the cardiovascular system and skeletal muscles. 2) Although there are clear fitness, metabolic, and performance benefits associated with higher-intensity exercise training programs in healthy older adults, it is now evident that such programs do not need to be of high intensity to reduce the risks of developing chronic cardiovascular and metabolic disease. However, the outcome of treatment of some established diseases and geriatric syndromes is more effective with higher-intensity exercise (e.g., type 2 diabetes, clinical depression, osteopenia, sarcopenia, muscle weakness). 3) The acute effects of a single session of aerobic exercise are relatively short-lived, and the chronic adaptations to repeated sessions of exercise are quickly lost upon cessation of training, even in regularly active older adults. 4) The onset and patterns of physiological decline with aging vary across physiological systems and between sexes, and some adaptive responses to training are age- and sex-dependent. Thus, the extent to which exercise can reverse age-associated physiological deterioration may depend, in part, on the hormonal status and age at which a specific intervention is initiated. 5) Ideally, exercise prescription for older adults should include aerobic exercise, muscle strengthening exercises, and flexibility exercises. In addition, individuals who are at risk for falling or mobility impairment should also perform specific exercises to improve balance in addition to the other components of health-related physical fitness. … So yes, adding in resistance (strength) training gradually but progressively is important. Aerobic should get up to at least a moderate level (brisk walking counts, generally hard enough that while you can talk you cannot sing) at least 3x/wk consistently. If all moderate you want to add up to at least 2 1/2 hours worth a week. Less is considered as good if the intensity is higher, down to half as much time if intensity is more vigorous, e.g. running … mix it up and aim to hit at least somewhere in the middle. Not included in that Position Statement is that [protein intake timed early after](http://jp.physoc.org/content/535/1/301.short) the work out is very important in the elderly. The research is solid that older individuals, even those previously sedentary, will not only stave off loss of strength and endurance, but make gains, doing that. Not to mention other health benefits. And yeah, that guy is cool. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-first-started-working-out-late-in-life/680359/7 "2014-02-02T19:30:15Z")
[quote=“DSeid, post:6, topic:680359”] While I don’t have relevant personal experience to offer perhaps you’d be interested in what the experts say. This from the [Position Statement of the American College of Sports Medicine:](http://www.chap.uk.com/pdfs/Exercise_and_Physical_Activity_for_Older_Adults.pdf) Evidence category A is the highest rated evidence.So yeah, what you are experiencing is the norm. But the good news follows - That was interesting, I did physical work throughout my life so I did maintain a good deal of muscle mass. Into my second year of retirement and much less physical work I can see a rapid decline if I don’t take action now. I can feel my legs after just a few blocks walking, if I carry something heavy 50 feet or so I am breathing heavy.