Strength = Independence = Enjoyment

Keeping it very simple, your strength is your independence. This brutal truth is clearly demonstrated during hand-grip tests. This simple test correlates strength to longevity. Loss of strength is directly related to a shorter life and to a loss of the activities we enjoy, love, and are passionate about, such as fishing, playing with grandchildren, gardening, hiking, or scuba diving. Once we no longer have the strength to do these things we enjoy, we can’t do them. Period. Building or at least maintaining our strength, therefore, becomes imperative.

Step 1. Building strength through targeted repetitions (reps)

The only way to build strength is through resistance training, whether using weights, elastic bands, or body weight. Strength gains are optimised when repetition ranges are low, say 5-10. Once repetitions increase substantially, you move into a more cardio-focused workout, which doesn’t emphasise building muscle.

I focus on five repetitions as the sweet spot for a couple of reasons. First, it facilitates muscle growth, as discussed below; second, it is an ideal number for maintaining good form and concentration. Often, when people perform 10-12 reps, the last 3-5 reps are fatiguing, or they lose concentration, resulting in a decline in movement quality. No point practising poor habits and pushing the risk of injury with ’empty reps.’

Step 2. 70% loading for each muscle/exercise

To facilitate muscle growth, we need sufficient physical stress on our muscles. However, as we age, our muscles become stiffer, recovery is slower, and adaptation to changes in loading is slower. This means we should aim for around 70% maximal loading, not 85-90% as in our younger days. In this way, we have sufficient stimulus to promote muscle growth, we can perform back-to-back sessions (consistency is essential for building muscle), and we reduce our risk of injury. If you are injured, you can’t train, and if you aren’t training, your strength is going backwards. Our goal is a year with no injuries.

70% Max Training Hack. How do I determine what 70% of my maximal capacity is for each exercise? There is a complex process that takes time in the gym under guided supervision, but for our situation, the weight you can lift around 14 times is a close approximation of your 70% maximal lift for that exercise.

Frequency

In part, this depends on how much time you can allocate to resistance training, given your other fitness goals (cardio, flexibility, skill acquisition). Not to mention your family, work, and community commitments. However, if you want to facilitate an active and enjoyable post-50 lifestyle and you now understand the critical role that strength training plays in all this, two sessions of around 45-60 minutes each would be the minimum. Ideally, aim for three. I aim for four per week, so if I miss one, I am still meeting my three-times-per-week target.

Structure

Like the 70% max loading, the structure of this program is also specific. I use a 5×5 program.

This means I perform an exercise 5 times, move to the next exercise (a different muscle group) in the block, and then to the next. After three strength exercises, I have a stretch for 30-60seconds. The natural rotation provides specific muscle recovery, and the stretch provides mental recovery. This sequence is then repeated five times. In summary, a block comprises three strength exercises followed by one stretch exercise.

I have two blocks in a workout. Each workout is preceded by 10-15 minutes of warmup to bring my body up to operating temperature and focus my mind on the workout. Total workout time around 60 minutes. I have two workouts (one more focused on legs, the other more on arms) that are balanced with my other exercises: swimming, hiking, and cycling. If I am running late, off my game or in a recovery phase, I can keep the same structure but rotate through the program three times instead of five.

Daily Program:

Here is my general program. However, some flexibility and variety are beneficial. I may push out the final set of a specific exercise to 14 reps (70% max), or add a ‘bonus’ exercise such as hip thrusts. Links to videos are highlighted in green.

Warmup			Warmup
Block 1	Block 2		Block 1	Block 2
Calf raise	Bench press		Abdominal pike/planks	Lat pulldowns
RDL single	Shoulder external rotation		Pec cable flies	Decline pushups
Bicep curls	Split squat		Anterior tibial raise	Step down single squat
Hamstring stretch	Calf stretch		Hamstring stretch	Calf stretch

You can download a Workout Program template here.

Weekly Program:

So, how does the strength program fit in with my other activities? I try to keep a balance between gym load and cardio load, so a day in the gym with legs as the focus means I will aim for a swim in the afternoon.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Gym/Lower	Gym/Upper	Cardio (cycle)	Gym/Lower	Gym/Upper	Weighted Hike	Rest
+/-Swim			+/-Swim

Stretching

Don’t forget stretching, especially if you have an X & Y chromosome! This is a commonly neglected area and a cause for plenty of overload injuries. We get tighter as we age if we are male and work out. If you tick all three boxes, you should be setting aside 15-20 minutes three times a week for focused stretching.

• Can you do a full squat while wearing gym shoes and keep your heels on the ground?
• Does your neck turn 90 degrees each way?
• Can you lift your arm above your head so it is parallel to your trunk? These are all essential functional requirements.

As a general rule, women are more flexible and tend to spend more time in yoga and pilates classes. Guys, on the other hand, tend to go to the gym and work on their strength. We tend to do what feels easier, rather than what would be better for us. While both sexes need to work on strength, guys should focus a bit more on mobility, and women should focus more on strength.

I focus on two of my tightest areas: calves (short and long groups) and hamstrings, during my gym workouts. I will conduct a couple of longer sessions during the week, lasting 30+ minutes, using a massage gun, often while watching television, talking, or listening to music.