Starting Strength for 54 yo with no experience ?

[BellyOfTheEast]

Hi Mark,

My name is Phong, am a 54 year-old male, 6 ft, 183 lbs, about 22% bf (so says my scale). I lead a very sedentary life style with a desk job and not much physical activity other than golf in the good weather, and jog ~ 3 miles, 3 or 4 times a week, a long run (6-10 miles) once a month or so. I used to play tennis competitively years ago (10+). I ski/swim/bike recreationnally.

I travel for work, and hotel gyms typically do not have barbells, so that's something I need to work on. Perhaps switching my gym membership to a national chain or the YMCA.

I have never lifted weight before and would like to become stronger while I can still do something about it. I have done some research at the local gyms and on the internet, and the latter led me to buy a couple of your books (Starting Strength 2nd edition paperback, 3rd edition Kindle, and just a few days ago Practical Programming), as well your Starting Strength DVD. I am impressed by the high quality of the material, enough so that I am starting with your novice program, at pitifully low weights across all lifts. I have modest goals (say 100/200/300 in the bench/squat/lift toward the end of the year, and 200/300/400 in a few years), modest compared to what absolutely everyone else on this forum is doing, but monumental from where I am today, and I would be absolutely thrilled if I achieve those goals. Above all, I would like to train with no injury if at all possible, even if that means going at a slower pace. I am speaking of injuries serious enough that will need a visit to a health care professional.

I have couple of questions for you:

1. Is the Starting Strength program appropriate for someone like me in terms of age and physical ability ? with perhaps 5 lbs increment (10 for deadlifts) for the first initial weeks, then 2.5lbs/5lbs afterward. In your experience with training with people like me, are my goals reasonable, in the range of the doable ? Or are they way too modest or too high ?

2. I am thinking about attending one of your seminars (probably Missisauga, ON in July) to learn the lifts correctly, before I get too, too far into the bad habits. Are the seminars useful for someone in my situation ? Clearly, I am in no position to coach anyone, so I am interested primarily in learning the lifts for myself, and only have very peripheral interest in judging other people's lifting skills and techniques.


Many thanks in advance.

[Mark Rippetoe]

1. There are literally hundreds of threads posted by people your age (two years younger than me) who have started the program. Read the board for examples and their experiences.

2. Half the people at every seminar are there for their own training purposes.

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

Phong,

You will be fine to start the program as it as laid out for a number of weeks. Starting at 54 you may find that you will have to switch to a lighter Wednesday squat workout faster than would be optimal and twice per week deadlifts probably won't last long either......this doesn't mean that significant and real progress can't be made.

Additionally, as the weights get heavier you may have to switch to a twice per week program or even something like train a day/rest 2 days, repeat.

[BellyOfTheEast]

Thanks Mark.

I will continue to read more posts on the subject on the forum.
Hope to see you in person later this year.

[Mike Mantzouris]

I travel for work, and hotel gyms typically do not have barbells, so that's something I need to work on. Perhaps switching my gym membership to a national chain or the YMCA.

I have found that most hotels have a deal where their patrons can go to a nice gym with barbells for about $10 a day. Just call the hotel before you go and look the gym up on the internet to make sure. A weight belt always causes the TSA Agent to ask some questions at airport security but they let me through every time.

[Mac Ward]

A weight belt always causes the TSA Agent to ask some questions at airport security but they let me through every time.

I have noticed this as well. WTF?

[Hollis]

I travel a lot and will just pay the day rate for any gym that has the right equipment. Most of the time YMCA's are the best when commercial chains are the only option.

The SS seminar is completely worth it, several times over. You are off to a good start with the books, but at the very least find a SS coach to get you started. There's a directory on this site.

There's no reason to rush into things. Start at 65# if you need to, the gains will happen regardless.

[Mark Rippetoe]

I have noticed this as well. WTF?

TSA agents want you to love them. They see the belt and they think, "Cool. The guy's a lifter. My brother-in-law is a lifter. I can ask a question about something that won't immediately make this person have even more contempt for me than they already do."

[Mark E. Hurling]

Not a bad strategy, but unlikely to succeed. Unless you're as big of a sorry fuck as they are.

[Mac Ward]

TSA agents want you to love them. They see the belt and they think, "Cool. The guy's a lifter. My brother-in-law is a lifter. I can ask a question about something that won't immediately make this person have even more contempt for me than they already do."

No my experience. "Sir, what is this? A weightlifting belt? What do you do with it? It goes around your middle when you....what did you say? Squat and what? Deadlift??? I need to talk to my supervisor." They then walk off with it, and come back and say, "Why does it have these two metal things?" (The prongs). I smile and say, "That's what keeps it together when you are squatting and deadlifting really heavy stuff."

I have had that conversation at least twice. Others are not as bad, but still annoying, so annoying that I'm left only to chuckle.

I'm most pleased that these folks are my last defense against terrorism.