. Older trainees, when compared on age alone, cannot be considered equally.
Someone aged fifty who has been training consistently for thirty years can-
not be compared to a fifty-year-old who is starting training. A forty-year-
old weight-training beginner who has kept himself relatively fit from other
activities cannot be compared to someone of the same age who has neglected
his health and fitness for decades. Each individual is a unique case.. Regardless of how old or out of condition you are it is never too late to take
up exercise. Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life, so live for now
and add years to your life, and life to your years.. e benefits of exercise, even just moderate exercise, are huge, especially for
older people. e older you get, the more important it is that you exercise.. Younger trainees are usually mostly, if not totally appearance and strength
orientated. Many older trainees feel much the same way. But once beyond
thirty-five years old, internal health and well-being from cardiorespiratory
work should play an important part of a total exercise program. en much
later in life it should become even more important. But while strength train-
ing becomes less important as one ages, relatively speaking, it should always
remain very important. Having strong and well-developed muscles does not
merely have aesthetic benefits. Being strong produces critical health benefits
and contributes greatly to reducing the ravages of Father Time. Exercise
truly helps you to stay young for your years.. Especially if you are in middle age or older, you must get a physician’s clear-
ance before starting an exercise program. Even minimal exercise can be
extremely stressful for someone in poor condition.. While progress in strength, muscular development, flexibility and cardio-
vascular fitness can be made at any age, the possible negative side of exer-
cise (aches and pains, and injuries) is greater as you age. But without care
being given to an appropriate, careful and progressive exercise program, the
negative side will dominate and lead to terminating the exercise program.
Remember, “Use it or lose it, but don’t abuse it.”. e older you get, the more careful you need to be with making changes in
your training load, and in your program as a whole. e room for error for
the young person is much greater than for the older person.