Beyond-Brawn-2nd-Edition

19. How to Never Let Your Age
Hold Back Your Training
Aging
19.1 Aging will not be the bugbear for you that it is for most people, if you know
how to respond to its impact. While there are age-based variations in goals,
poundages and bodyweight, and food intake, this book was written to be
useful for all adult trainees. roughout this book the stress is on modifying
training according to individual needs and limitations. e age factor is a big
player here.
19.2 No one should ever feel too old to get into serious exercise. Keep Satchel
Paige’s words in mind: “Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t
mind, it doesn’t matter.”
19.3 Some inactive people have the attitude that, once past 40 or so, humanity is
almost ready for the knacker’s yard. With the right attitude, someone starting
exercise in middle age or later can, if trained properly, hugely increase
strength, physique and fitness. But someone who has been exercising seriously
since he was a teenager cannot expect to be in the same condition at 65
as he was at 35. He can, however, expect to maintain a degree of condition
that will make him a phenomenon for his age.
19.4 Weight training is no longer the domain of the young. Nowadays people are
starting training late in life, and many others, though they started when they
were very young, are continuing into their middle and later years. It is not a
case of applying the cliché, “Use it or lose it.” Much better is, “Use it or lose it,
but don’t abuse it.” Of course this applies to all ages, but it especially applies
as you go into middle age and beyond.
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