best workout program for men over 50When you do a Google search for the best workout program for men over 50, you will get all kinds of results with general information.

The typical result, including the AI response calls for lifting weights two or three days per week and some cardio.

This provides you with virtually no idea of how or where to start.

The best workout routine for men over 50 depends entirely upon your current circumstances.

Here are some questions I would ask someone before recommending any specific fitness program.

  1. What is your age?
  2. How long has it been since you did any type of training, whether it involves lifting weights or cardio exercise?
  3. What are your initial goals?  Do you need to lose weight?  Build strength?  Gain muscle?  Prepare for competition?
  4. Do you have access to a full set of equipment, including barbells, a power rack, cardio machines, etc?
  5. Do you have any long term injuries that may prevent you from performing certain exercises?

These are some of the basics.

With that said, men over 50 will get the most benefit out of focusing on strength training.

Men who need to lose considerable body fat will also want to incorporate some cardio exercise into their workout program.

Best workout program for men over 50

For the majority of men over 50, here is a solid workout routine you can get started with if you have never trained, or it has been a few years.

First, you will want to engage in legitimate strength training with barbells.

strength training after 50

Deadlifting in my garage

Strength training is the most important training modality for men over 50 due to age related muscle mass.

That process, known as sarcopenia, begins around the age of 40, and accelerates over time.

This why many men over 80 become quite frail and weak, particularly those who are underweight.

Barbells are preferred over machines because along with training for strength, you will also be training balance, which is critical as you age.

A solid strength training program trains the four big compound movements… squat, deadlift, bench press and overhead press.

A good workout routine for men over 50 will then train these lifts initially for three days per week with a full day of rest in between each workout, and two days off on the weekends.

The squat and deadlift are both initially trained each workout, along with one pressing movement.

This initial program, based on the Starting Strength method, consists of two basic workouts as follows:

Workout A                            Workout B

Barbell Squat                       Barbell Squat

Bench Press                         Overhead Press

Deadlift                                 Deadlift

You simply alternate these workouts for a period of time.

For the squat, bench press and overhead press, you perform three working sets of five reps (after warm up sets).

For the deadlift, we only need one working set of five reps.

This is a very basic program for novice lifters and can generally be adhered to by anyone from 50 to 70 years old for six weeks to two months.

You start out with conservative weight for each exercise as you learn how to execute the movements.

With each workout, you add a little bit of weight, and eventually the weight will start to feel heavy.

After a while, some adjustments can then be made.

Typically, for Workout B, the deadlift is replaced with another pulling exercise such as pullups, lat pulldowns or bent over rows, depending upon the trainee.

This is just one example of a strength training program you can start as a beginner.

Strength training beyond the early novice phase

After a period of time, as you’ve added significant weight to the bar, you’ll find it more difficult to complete three sets of five reps while continuing to add weight to the bar each workout.

best fitness program for men over 50This is when more significant adjustments to your training will occur, which we won’t get into here (we cover programming adjustments in our Tactics newsletter, so consider signing up!).

Eventually, you can then opt to go in several different directions with your training.

Strength gains can still occur by training as little as two days per week.

In fact, for trainees over 70, a two day per week schedule may be the best way to go eventually as older trainees typically require more recovery time.

Some other trainees may opt for a four day per week schedule that splits the upper body exercises from the lower body exercises.

There are all kinds of ways to adjust your training when you get to that point.

The key is to get at least a few months of novice training under your belt where you consistently add weight to the bar.

This is when the most strength adaptation occurs.

Cardio training within exercise routines for men over 50

Again, the amount of cardio exercise you do is going to depend upon your own situation.

If you are an underweight male who needs to build significant strength and muscle, you will not need any cardio exercise on your days off, although it is still recommended that you do some.

The strength training will help you improve your cardiovascular health to an extent.

Since your focus is on building strength, you will want to simply consider active rest on your days off… walking, hiking, etc.

Over time, you can certainly add in some cardio exercise as you see fit.

The key is to avoid doing too much intense cardio exercise for over 35 minutes on your days off, as this can interfere with your strength gains.

Jogging five miles at a pace that leaves you tired and exhausted is an example of what to avoid on your days off.

For men who need to lose weight, a great place to start is with Zone 2 exercise.

Zone 2 cardio exercise is not intense, and it is a great way to burn fat.

It also helps to recover from hard strength training workouts by getting the blood flowing, and it can also improve your overall work capacity.

For men who need to lose body fat, 45 minutes of Zone 2 cardio exercise on your non-strength training days will go a long way toward helping you achieve your goals.

As you get into better condition, more intense cardio routines can be included.

Final thoughts on the best workout program for men over 50

The best fitness program for men over 50 is dependent upon the individual trainee himself.

With that said, a solid strength training program should be the core focus accompanied by at least two sessions of cardio exercise per week will be a great starting point for most trainees.

If you are looking for a more detailed program to help you get started, including training adjustments as you progress, check out our training template options.

You can also consider signing up for our Tactics newsletter by filling out any of the forms you see on the website.

The key point is this… if you are over 50, it’s time to get started with a solid fitness program so you are better prepared for the curveballs life will throw at you as you age.

Now get to work!