5 Best workouts for men over 50

Many men over 50 look back at their late 20s and early 30s as their prime years. Well, you don’t need to dust off old pictures to remind yourself of how fit you were, because you are definitely capable of being in prime health at your age. So put your tracksuit on and get moving with these 5 workouts for men over 50.

Your lung capacity and heart strength diminishes with age. Cardiovascular exercises are done to strengthen and maintain your heart and lungs, burn calories, and convert fat to energy. Start slow, with brisk walks around the park, and then maybe move on to laps in the swimming pool. Make this a routine for three to four days every week.

Swimming helps you loosen joints that may have tightened up over the years. Alternatively, you can hop on a treadmill or exercise bike for 30 minutes, four times a week.

Your testosterone levels decline as you get older, so it’s perfectly understandable to get tired more easily. To counter this, you can start by lifting weights. Testosterone levels can be increased by sufficient weight training exercises.

The focus should be on exercises that work the larger muscle groups: the bench press, the military press, squats or leg presses. Start with light weights, 15 - 20 reps, then, over time, increase the weights and do 12 - 15 reps. Increased muscle mass will help elevate your metabolism and improve your body's ability to burn fat.

Joint aches around the knees, waist and ankles are regular occurrences for men over 50. If you’ve jogged recently and find yourself unable to walk properly without feeling any pain, then you might want to work on those joints.

Although leg exercises such as squats are helpful in this sense, single leg exercises like lunges are even better. Training with each leg helps with balance, joint mobility, and strength of your tendons, ligaments, and muscles. Do four sets of 10 to 12 lunges per leg, using just your body weight.

Working a desk job might contribute to the weakening of the upper and lower back muscles further along the line. So while planking helps in working the back muscles, there are other workouts that make the back muscles its main focus.

One of them is the “Superman”, or back raises. Supermans stretch out your tight muscles, while strengthening your weak ones. Lie on your front, with your hands at the side of your head, and lift your legs and torso off the floor as high as you can, pause for a second, then lower them again. Do three sets of 10 reps.