Thank you for writing this, Scott. I'm in this demographic (55 year old man). Great programming options to keep in my back pocket.
But if not wanting to do cardio is wrong, I don't wanna be right.
by Scott Acosta
Nearly all of my clients are Masters Athletes; 80% are over the age of 40, with 46% over the age of 50 and my oldest is 67 years old. The Masters population is arguably the most challenging to train. I constantly have to work around a blunted recovery capacity and the typical age-related issues. I also have to face reality: the overwhelming majority of my clients aren't prepared to do everything necessary to maximize their results. Insufficient diets, busy work schedules, vacations, illness, and family obligations have to be worked around.
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Thank you for writing this, Scott. I'm in this demographic (55 year old man). Great programming options to keep in my back pocket.
But if not wanting to do cardio is wrong, I don't wanna be right.
Sixty nine year old male here. This is very similar to what I was doing this last fall. Sets and reps slightly different and chins and rows as the accessories. It worked well. Workouts could be done in an hour and I set some small Prs.
Thanks for this article. I’m coming back after a 6 week layoff and might well use this after I run out an LP between now and New Year’s.
i'm curious where/how you would approach working in the leg press and rows as accessories into the template provided?
thanks
Scott Acosta, SSC, Westside Barbell Coach, USAPL Coach, Nice Guy
essentialbarbell@yahoo.com
For the love of God, just do the fucking program
I've used the leg press in place of the squat on occasions when the lifter is just feeling too physically or mentally drained to put a bar on their back. I can still get some good leg work while not pushing the client too far. Sometimes I can convince them to do a warm-up with the squat - which keeps the movement pattern fresh - and if they still feel pooped we can transition to the leg press or move on to the next lift. Leg press days aren't planned for me. Rather, they are an adjustment made at the start of the session based on feedback from the lifter.
Rows can be done on the medium day pulling session instead of deadlifts if you're feeling beat up. The lifter gets to practice setup and gets some isometric work on the relevant musculature. They can also be done after regular deadlifts or instead of chins/lat pulls as long as you don't go so crazy that you screw up your next heavy day.
Hope this helps
Scott Acosta, SSC, Westside Barbell Coach, USAPL Coach, Nice Guy
essentialbarbell@yahoo.com
For the love of God, just do the fucking program
Interesting study of reps and sets:
Resistance Training Volume Enhances Muscle Hypertrophy. - PubMed - NCBI
This might be especially applicable to programming for masters athletes, who are more sensitive to volume. I read an article about this study (can't find a link now) that said the key is to go to failure on working sets, with sufficient resistance to max you out between 5 and 8 reps.METHODS: Thirty-four healthy resistance-trained men were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 experimental groups: a low-volume group performing 1 set per exercise per training session; a moderate-volume group performing 3 sets per exercise per training session; or a high-volume group performing 5 sets per exercise per training session. Training for all routines consisted of three weekly sessions performed on non-consecutive days for 8 weeks....
RESULTS: Results showed significant pre-to-post intervention increases in strength and endurance in all groups, with no significant between-group differences.
Hello,
I am 60 yo. I focus my mental and physical energy on the squat exercise.
In every training session I strive to perform the squat with the best form and at the most weight I can muster.
Secondary to the squat is the OHP, and tertiary is the DL.
As Rippetoe says, there is no substitute for the squat and it is the King of Barbell Exercises.
Othrr than walking to the subway and training dogs, I do NO cardio work.
In spite of doing no cardio work, I am in excellent physical condition as evidenced by test results for BP, Lipid, BMI, Heart Rate, etc.
I attribute my condition to lifting weights, premium cuts of meat, and top shelf bourbon.
My point here being, substituting leg presses for squats and adding cardio work to avoid boredom is indicative of a trainee that doesn’t really want to train and is only going through the motions, so to speak.
I wish to add that I work at a demanding job 50-60 hours a week, with colleagues less than half my age, and if I wanted to, I could beat the living shit out any two of them at the same time, and they know it.
Kindest Regards,
Jim
Thank you for this, Scott. This is very similar to what I'm doing now, although it has taken months of screwing around to find what worked for me. I'm glad to have confirmation that I'm doing something reasonable. Geezer here, turning 69 this month.
Question: if you have geezers still doing chins, are they programmed 3X/2 weeks like lat pull downs?
Thanks!