Number of workouts over 45

[MP]

For anyone around 45 and natural, how many days training per week do you find ideal?

[jpm101]

Depending on your goals, usually  3 days a week.  Keeping it simple at first.

Might suggest interval training if planning any endurance style training, rather that only  lifting exercises.

A few Pl'ers and Olympic lifters hit their prime in their lat 30's to mid 40's. BB'ers can seem to go on forever, with moderate weight, not too many workout days a week and not going to failure every workout as they grow older. From experience they tend to have well planned workouts for their body, making adjustments along the way when  needed.

Good Luck.

[MP]

Thanks. Coming off a layoff and have been sticking with 3 days a week for now. Might bump that up, but feeling good with that for now.

Don't think I can do 5 days a week any more.

[Thin Lizzy]

Lift 2 days a week, splitting the body in two, reps in the 12 range.

Run twice a week: One shorter run with sprints and speed work mixed in. One long slow jog.

Daily: Total body exercise routine, done to stay limber and conditioned.

[Donny]

I think a 3 or 4 Day split is good for an older trainer. I always liked..

Chest/back
off
Shoulders/arms
off
legs
Weekend off
or..

Chest/triceps
Back/biceps
off
shoulders/traps
legs
weekend off

on the 3 day split it´s up to you where you put your shoulders/arms split. Some do it on the Friday and have 2 days to recover but i do it on the Wednesday giving more time. same with the 4 day split with Shoulders/traps really an individual thing. If training to keep in shape without any Bodybuilding ambitions an upper/lower split 3 or 4 times a week or a full body 2 a week is ok. Cardio in my opinion is just as important to us older trainers. Again an individual choice. Regarding cardio do not think doing 4 minutes of cardio 2x a week will REALLY keep you in shape. As Thin Lizzy wrote get some endurance cardio in there. Your body adapts very quickly to weight training and cardio. Flexibility has never been an issue with me as i have always trained in martial arts which in its self is a full body stretching workout.

[njflex]

4 mostly..throw a 5ht pump day every couple wks.

[Donny]

4 mostly..throw a 5ht pump day every couple wks.

Good advice Steve. splits in general allow more concentrated work.

[chaos]

For anyone around 45 and natural, how many days training per week do you find ideal?

4-5

[Agnostic007]

I'm 53 and I work out 5 to 6 times a week though it varies. Never less than 3. I don't really care about the optimum muscle building regime, for me it is stress relief. I enjoy it and look forward to it. If I'm aching more than usual I will skip a day. 

[Ron Jeremy]

Just turned 50. Weights 4x week. Cardio, minimum 30 minutes, 6 days a week. Never less than 8 reps per set. Up to 50-100 for legs. Works well. Dropped 30 lbs and will drop 30 more. Diet and cardio are more beneficial to the older lofter imho. The muscle/strength is there if you trained hard in your younger years.

[judochoke]

I'm almost 59, still lifting 5 days a week. still strong as fuck, did powerlifting in my 30 to 40s. still have a strong base. most days i do cardio in the morning, and back to the gym in the afternoon to lift.

[jude2]

3 Days a week works very well for me. I have been training like this for the past 8 years, since turning 40.

[wgtnmuscle1]

I train 3 times a week if I can..sometimes it 2 times a week depends on work and outside life, a circuit whole body type and just started karate to try something new once a week am turning 55 soon

[Charlys69]

I'm 53 and I work out 5 to 6 times a week though it varies. Never less than 3. I don't really care about the optimum muscle building regime, for me it is stress relief. I enjoy it and look forward to it. If I'm aching more than usual I will skip a day.  

Same year....i´m Close to 53 now, Training almost 37 Year. I work out with weights 5 times a week and doing 3-4 cardio sessions a week, sometimes only Cardio, sometimes in combination with my weight Training.
I´m 190 cm tall (about 6 "2,5" inches), weighing between 255-260 lbs in the Moment.

it´s not the number of workouts i changed to my youbnger years....it´s about the exercises i use these days, and the rep-ranges, and rest time between sets. muscles can take a lot of work.....tendoms, ligaments are the Problems when you get older....and hopefully smarter...

[JackScribber]

I'm only 36, training for 21 years now. Natural too. For me 2-3 times a week are the sweet spots. I always train hard so I need the rest. Also suffer DOMS consistently... in essence you could say that I've had some sort of DOMS or muscle pain every day for 21 years. Or at least 98% of the time. 2% accounting for lay offs (no more than a week).

Don't think it matters really, listen to your body and don't be afraid to take an extra few days off if needed. You always seem to come back stronger after a few extra days. But also don't be fooled by feeling lazy. I've had some great PBs on nights I just couldn't be fucked.

[JackScribber]

Same year....i´m Close to 53 now, Training almost 37 Year. I work out with weights 5 times a week and doing 3-4 cardio sessions a week, sometimes only Cardio, sometimes in combination with my weight Training.
I´m 190 cm tall (about 6 "2,5" inches), weighing between 255-260 lbs in the Moment.

it´s not the number of workouts i changed to my youbnger years....it´s about the exercises i use these days, and the rep-ranges, and rest time between sets. muscles can take a lot of work.....tendoms, ligaments are the Problems when you get older....and hopefully smarter...

Looking solid there broski.

[dyslexic]

I don't believe in setting "goals" per se...

Not as much as I believe just getting into as good as shape as you possibly can, as healthily as you can, and as patiently as you can.

That being said, many sayings about "age" abound.

For example "you are only as old as you feel"


If you are healthy (by a physician's standards).. then I would start off easy with some walking, swimming, biking and moderate weight lifting.

You cannot possibly know how many days a week to hit the gym... as if there is a "set" number.

How is your nutrition? Do you know much about nutrition?

For example, do you know how many calories your body burns at rest vs. how many it burns at work (give or take, it's not an exact science)

Your caloric intake will have EVERYTHING to do with "how many" days you are in the gym.

You should not be in the gym when you are starving, nor should you be in there when you are.... full?


How many days a week you are in the gym should be based on your individual progress....if any. Are you making gains? Do you know how to assess gains?

You can't just stand on a scale. Body fat levels need to be tested. Ideally, in a perfect world, losing fat and gaining muscle is key,especially since fat ONLY burn in MUSCLE TISSUE...

So...get familiar with a body fat scale or calipers.... and.. the mirror is also a great guide,as long as you are using the same mirror with the same lighting.

You would not believe how much difference a type of light can make on a face... or a physique... and there are SO MANY types of lights these days, and most of the lighting in gyms is geared toward making you look BETTER than what you really do. ... for obvious reasons.


If you are making progress on one day a week, why would you go more? This is just an example, but so many people have this attitude that "if a little is good, more must be better" .. and this just is not true when it comes to body building, sculpting, fitness, whatever name you want to put on it.


Test yourself on pushups. How many can you do today?

Do them, count them, don't cheat. Take three days off and do the same thing again. All things considered, if you did more the second time around, you are kind of uncovering the answer to your question.


I know that I have an elusive and odd way of speaking, but if you can get past that, you will find some value in what I have to say... and I only say this because I have been helping people of all types, sizes, genders, ages and disabilities... get into top shape for over 30 years now.


Test yourself to find the answer.

[oldtimer1]

Almost 60 here and natural.  This is what I do. I lift three days a week. Monday is back and chest. Wednesdays is legs. Friday is delt and arms. I lift to failure and use low sets outside of warm ups. Every exercise gets 2 work sets. Three to four exercises a body part.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays I do cardio. One day is 3 to 5 mile run and the other tends to be 8 x440 yard sprints. Week ends I vegetate and drink beer at night.

I set up the routine so there is definite over lap. An example of this is deads or power cleans on Mondays work the legs then on Wednesday the legs are hit directly.  All the pushing and pulling on back and chest day work the triceps and the biceps. On Friday they get hit directly.  I could go on but you get the drift. So body parts aren't truly getting hit once a week but two.

Here's Mondays workout for back and chest. No warm up sets listed. If I need them I do them. I try to always use a full range of motion. Simple physics say the longer the travel the more work you are doing.

Pull ups 2 x max
Seated long cable lat rows with V handle 2 x 12
Kneeling on a bench one arm dumbbell rows 2 x 10
Hammer strength pulldowns 2 x 10

Hammer bench 2 x 8
incline or flat dumbbell bench 2 x 8
flat flies 2 x 10
machine flies 2 x 10
push ups 1 x max

Dead lift 2 x 4 then 1 x 1 (If I substitute power cleans I do them first in the workout.)
weighted hyper back extensions 2 x 15

ab wheel roll out 2 x max
seated crunch machine 2 x 20