Women's Physique

If you’ve seen The Expendables, you don’t need me to tell you that it’s absolutely possible to be in amazing shape in your fifties and sixties.
Achieving a well-developed physique and continuing to make improvements takes commitment in your twenties and thirties, but it will require that plus some additional considerations in your forties and beyond.

As the body ages, our cells, systems and structures change. Lower levels of testosterone, growth hormone, and DHEA, reduced insulin sensitivity, reduced fibre type and size, and slower healing all mean longer recovery, slower training adaptation, and increased risk of muscle loss and fat storage.

Lifestyle in your twenties, thirties, and forties will play an important role in how fast your body ages. If you eat well, train hard, and engage in healthy lifestyle practices, you’ll reap the rewards in later years as long as you focus on a few things.

1. Keep pumping iron

Weight training needs to be a cornerstone of your program. Progressive resistance training should be done four or five times per week. Six days a week training is likely to be too much in your fifties and sixties. It won’t allow sufficient rest. You’ll also likely benefit from splitting up those sessions—perhaps a three-day-on, one-day-off, two-day-on format. Research shows that shorter rest periods of 30 to 40 seconds between sets can promote youthful spikes in growth hormone. Multi-joint exercises such as squats should be a key focus in your training. They boost growth hormone and natural testosterone levels.

2. Keep cardio intense

Alternating shorter sessions that use intervals of work and rest with longer, low intensity duration cardio will provide metabolic, hormonal, and heart health benefits. This type of cardio is intense, so it shouldn’t be done more than twice per week to reduce injury risk. Consider two 20- to 30-minute interval sessions in a week and two or three 30- to 40-minute lower intensity cardio durations. This, combined with intense weight training, will keep you in top-notch shape. Your decision about type and amount of cardio will be determined by what your fitness goals are and what your weight-training program and nutrition are like.

3. Focus on nutrition

Nutrition is about 80 percent of your goal, but it really becomes even more important as you age. The body isn’t as efficient as it used to be at digesting, absorbing, and using nutrients, so quality really counts. All the rules of clean eating apply, but there are a few areas to emphasize because they can be bigger problem areas with age.
• Water is even more important with age. Drink at least 3 to 4 litres of filtered water daily.
• Consume no less than one gram of protein per pound of body weight. You need more and not less as you age. This is as long as the liver and kidneys are healthy.
• Consume six to eight servings of vegetables and some fruits daily to maintain optimal pH balance. Metabolic acidosis impairs cell function, prevents fat burning and muscle growth, and can also lead to disease.

4. Sleep well

Be in bed by no later than 10 or 11 p.m. nightly. Your body’s peak repair time is between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., with your largest burst of growth hormone at about 90 minutes into sleep. No amount of training or nutrition will make up for inadequate sleep. Aim for seven to nine hours every night. This is essential for recovery and maintaining your fat-burning and muscle-building abilities.

For more tips on getting shredded at ANY age, check out more of Tammy's columns here!