Exercise for Oldies

[cantunamunch]

But it's pretty intense.

I'm not even remotely sure the doc would allow it, even on the couch.

 

[Dave Petersen]

Will the doc let you lift? Upper body only? Maybe Nautilus type gym machines? Will the doc let you use electrostim (compex type, not TENS)?

I do understand that both high blood pressure and vibration are bad.

I'm at 3 weeks today since surgery - I go back in a week for another followup appointment. Maybe by then I will have less restrictions.

 

[scott43]

I'm happy that I have cycling and hockey. Both low impact. And have hunting in the bush in the back pocket.

 

[Jenny]

I'm happy that I have cycling and hockey. Both low impact. And have hunting in the bush in the back pocket.

Must be no-check hockey! Even with that, my husband comes home (lightly) injured sometimes.

 

[scott43]

Must be no-check hockey! Even with that, my husband comes home (lightly) injured sometimes.

Oh yeah for sure non-conact..pick-up..long shifts, more cardio and friendly contact. We hit but it's minor. But it's really relatively low-impact. I tell people that and they think I'm crazy but it's true. Much easier on the joints than squash, basketball, soccer.

 

[geepers]

Best way to get fit for a week's skiing is to ski the previous few weeks. (Matter of fact, I think this question needs to be turned around: How do I get fit for general life? By going skiing, of course.)

From doing the annual 1 or 2 week holidays per season I have been fortunate to be able to spend months living in-resort the last 3 seasons. Have found that something wonderful happens after skiing around 4 weeks in a row. The correct muscles harden up, the heart and lungs adapt to the altitude and workload, balance and co-ordination improve, unneeded body bulk begins to drift away... Yet to find a downside.

Main points seem to be:
1. Start slowly and work up - hammering it the 1st days into lactic overload is unhelpful. So ...Less vertical feet per day, more coffee breaks and less challenging terrain.
2. At the same time, sitting in the lodge or the cafe is not going to help the body adapt. Build the load (more vert feet per day, more challenging terrain, etc) as the days go by
3. Stay away from injury. We never plan to be injured and it can happen in even the mildest situation. But helps to:

• Play the percentages - we probably wouldn't use the longest club in the bag when there's OOB on the left and a water hazard on the right, yet all we have to lose at golf is the ball. Let your kids take your grand kids to the terrain park. Tree skiing with fast 20 y/o's requires discretion.
• Always be aware that we're a split second from a season (or career) ending injury. And then there's ballistic skiers and snowboarders... Constant and never-ending vigilance.

4. Have a knowledgeable person review technique. May be ways to ski with less effort and/or less risk. And ways to prevent or work around existing body problems. Corrections to technique eliminated my sore knees problem. (Mind, it may take a while to find the right person...)
5. Days off - undecided on this one. Some ski buddies my age reckon they burn out if they ski more than a few days in row so they have a rest day accordingly. Personally I've never found they made me feel all that rested. So tend to have them rarely but do have days toned down significantly - late start, blue runs only...

In terms of pre-season prep...
It is best not to suddenly get back into something that was good fun when a decade or 2 younger. Especially activities involving lots of explosive body movement, like sprinting and side stepping. What may have resulted in some body soreness for a couple of days when we were merely 50 y/o, can lead to much, much longer term issues in an older body.

For balance, try standing on one leg as often as possible. There's plenty of opportunities throughout the day - cleaning teeth, waiting for the coffee machine to do its thing. Move the rest of the body about and attempt to balance mainly from the ankle rather than the knee. (An instructor recommended this after watching my appallingly bad attempts at some one legged drills. It works. Drills improved within a week.)
Do get some funny looks standing there on one leg at the coffee machine, bobbing up and down, waving arms and free leg about. Don't care - the one advantage of getting older (as far as I can tell) is not really giving a hoot what anyone thinks of my antics.

 

[Seldomski]

Anyone try these? Seems great for reducing impact from running. Plus not as goofy looking as rollerblading

https://enko-running-shoes.com/en/

 

[cantunamunch]

...and for fun and practical jokes one merely swops in a pair of Tyrolia green springs

 

[McEl]

Tom Gellie’s one leg balance exercises. Reduce difficulty as needed.




Then stretch, as in



Then wall sits

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...FE67ADACDFC496D0AE5FFE67ADACDFC496D&FORM=VIRE

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...A926DF76F0AF714B257BA926DF76F0AF7&FORM=VDQVAP

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...449ACC1CCC113EA76C5B449ACC1CCC11&&FORM=VDRVRV


And, of course, planks

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...15FC76C88F6C7ABACD0D15FC76C88F6C&&FORM=VRDGAR

 

[Corgski]

Interspersed in other threads there are discussions by athletes who are pushing back old age by age-appropriate exercise.

The intended purpose of this thread is to list exercises which older skiers can perform to increase their skiing strength and ability without hurting themselves.

Dakine talks about the difference in joint stress in different leg exercises in this thread:
https://www.pugski.com/threads/so-how-is-my-new-metal-knee-working-out.7692/

But he must know more. I hope he posts it here.

Jamt recommended this book:
https://www.velopress.com/fast-50-ageless-athlete/

The write up looks very promising. I like this phrase: "Most people “rust out” due to inactivity rather than “wear out” from being overly active." My body is doing both.

My guess is that we need three to five skiing-oriented exercises to do each or every other day. But I don't know what they are or how to do them or how many to do and how to avoid further injuring my 64-year old body when I do them.

Unless you have some injury, traditional squats performed correctly need to be at the top of the list. They are not bad for the knees if done correctly and you are not trying to lift 600lbs. People may have squat issues for no other reason than they have never exercised their knees through the full range of motion. Squats really can help address some knee problems. May need to be approached very carefully and built up over a period of time.

Goblet squats have become the common starting point because they naturally enforce correct form. The amount of weight does not matter starting out, the point is that just holding something in that position helps produce correct form.

http://www.stack.com/a/goblet-squat

Step ups are an option, basically you are increasing load by using one leg but going through a narrower range of motion. Just be aware of what load you are applying to your knee when going on one leg, it is roughly equivalent to doing the same thing with 2 legs while supporting a barbell equal to your bodyweight (well, minus the weight of one lower leg below the knee but add at least that amount back to compensate for the added instability). Squats are safer but if you cannot handle the range of motion or are trying to increase loading without weights, something to consider.

 

[Nancy Hummel]

Pilates.

 

[Tricia]

Pilates.

When my sister was having severe back problems, Pilates was her life saver.
I've done pilates a few times but never committed to it. I should get into it.

 

[Tricia]

There is some good information here, too.
https://www.pugski.com/threads/no-serious-injury-aging-pains.4042/

 

[Tim Hodgson]

Tricia: Thank you! I just read all of its currently 6 pages. Highlights:

Arnica/Montana but does reducing inflammation retard muscle growth?

@eok could you post up some of your exercise program here?

"Flow like water ... be the laziest skier on the mountain ... to save the knees." This is actually my goal in the Classic PSIA Medium Radius Turn thread.

Younger Next Year: The Exercise Program
http://www.youngernextyear.com/best-guide-exercise-life-ever/
Book review anyone?

But before I do most of the above, someone mentioned seeing a personal trainer. That reminded me that my employer actually has a partnership with Barton Memorial Hospital where we can get an functional assessment resulting in a personal training regimen. I guess it takes a forum to remind me/make me see the obvious...

Thanks to all.

 

[SkiBam]

I've started an Essentrics class. Never done this before though have done yoga for many years. Essentrics is low impact and focuses on strengthening and lengthening the muscles - and lots of balance work. I believe it was developed by a dancer and seems great for an aging body. Not much cardio involved but I can get that elsewhere. I think it's something I'll keep up. I asked the teacher if many men do it and she said not many - too bad for them, I'd say.

 

[Steve]

T

Younger Next Year: The Exercise Program
http://www.youngernextyear.com/best-guide-exercise-life-ever/
Book review anyone?

Younger Next Year was a life changer for me. One of the best books I've read on the subject of fighting off aging.

 

[eok]

Tricia: Thank you! I just read all of its currently 6 pages. Highlights:

Arnica/Montana but does reducing inflammation retard muscle growth?

@eok could you post up some of your exercise program here?

"Flow like water ... be the laziest skier on the mountain ... to save the knees." This is actually my goal in the Classic PSIA Medium Radius Turn thread.

Younger Next Year: The Exercise Program
http://www.youngernextyear.com/best-guide-exercise-life-ever/
Book review anyone?

But before I do most of the above, someone mentioned seeing a personal trainer. That reminded me that my employer actually has a partnership with Barton Memorial Hospital where we can get an functional assessment resulting in a personal training regimen. I guess it takes a forum to remind me/make me see the obvious...

Thanks to all.

I actually have quite a few exercises that I choose from. I'll use some all the time and others for a while to address something in particular or simply to just change things up. I've found that muscle groups can get used to a super rigid exercise routine that never varies and this can slow progress.

So I'll outline what I consider my "maintenance" routine. The routine takes me about 1.25-2 hours, depending on my aggressiveness and reps.

I should point out a few things first: I'm OLD and have some athritic areas (hips, lower back, shoulders, etc) so many of the exercises I use are to help mediate this. Also, other than the lunge routines, I deliberately use "safe" exercises. This is because, a few years ago, I was actually making my back and hips worse by being over aggressive.

IMPORTANT: If you have ANY sort of physical issue(s), discuss any new exercises with your doctor or PT.

1: Warmup

Sitting weighted foot swivels. This is real simple and actually an old ski-school exercise an instructor showed me many years ago: I sit on the ground and place a wrap-around 5lb weight on the end of each foot. With my butt & legs flat on the ground & back flat against a support, I rotate my feet as far as possible left to right, right to left. 100 reps. During the rotations I allow my knees to come up a bit and swivel. This loosens up ankles, knees & hips. Tip: you're getting max benefit if you're feeling the muscles on the insides of your thighs firing. Another tip: works even better with ski boot on instead of weights.​

2: Back & Hip (reference: http://www.bigbackpain.com/back_exercises.html )

Birddog, 2 sets of 10. On the second set I deliberately concentrate on extending/streching the extended leg as much as possible - and holding for a few seconds.

Bridge:, 1 set of 10

Basic Spinal Twist, 1 set of 20

Alternating Knee Kicks, 1 set of 10

Cobras, 1 set of 20. There are a few variations of the Cobra exercise. I use the one that is more Yoga-like: start with toes & knees on ground, chest on thighs/floor and arms extended forward (in line with shoulders) and hands on ground. Then, leaving the feet & knees in place, move the upper body forward and up - with the arms supporting. Then I reverse the process with big inhale-exhale on compression.​

3: Lunges

IMPORTANT: Lunges - even if done right - can cause injury. So do some additional googling on how to do lunges and if they make sense as an exercise for you. On the other hand, lunges are great for building/maintaining leg strength for skiing.

"Half lunges", 2 sets of 8. These are basically easy warmup lunges where I don't touch knees to the the floor. I'm old, so I need to warmup for some routines.

Lunges, 2 sets of 8. For pre-season conditioning, I'll add up to 6 more sets. If I overdo the number of sets, my knees will bug me for a few days.
​

4: More Hips

Leg lift routine, alternating legs (pre-season, I'll add foot 5lb foot weights):​

10 reps, Standing with back against a support, lift straight leg forward - up and then down... slowly
10 reps, Standing with tummy/hips against a support, lift straight leg backward - up and then down... slowly
10 reps, Standing next to a support, lift straight leg upwards sideways - up and then down... slowly
10 reps, Standing with back against a support, lift straight leg forward - up and then rotate leg as to draw large circle with big toe.​

5: Quads & Ankles/Feet

With 10lb hand weights, I stand on a Bosu and do simple squats. I try NOT to bend the knees beyond alignment with my toes. I do a 1-count hold on the bottom of each squat. Goal is to be able to do 100 without completely burning up my quads. Pre-season, I'll do this twice a session.
​

6: Upper & more quads

I use a resistance based exercise platform thingy that's like a Total Gym. I do 15-20min on it to address my upper body. I also use it to do resistance-based leg presses (one leg at a time) - as many reps it takes to burn up the quads.​

7: Cardio

I use an old but trusty recumbent cardio bike, set for a high resistance program that varies resistance like you're constantly going up/down hills. Pre-season, I'll pedal for 50min or more. During the ski season I'll usually do 30-40min.​

8: Walking

I consider walking/hiking part of my regular exercise routine. My goal is to walk/hike at least 2 miles 4 times a week. I stick to this during the summer. Harder to do during the winter because we're in snow country - so I ski instead. ;^)​

 

[eok]

I should follow-up a bit with a few things...

First, the absolute BEST exercise routine for skiing is.... SKIING. No way around this. The more you ski, the more fit your "ski muscles" will be.

Something I highly recommend is to schedule one or more "tune-up" sessions with a ski instructor you trust, as early in the season as possible. Usually, in this kind of session, you should talk with the instructor about your goals. When you do, be sure to ask them for suggestions on skiing drills you can do on the slope on your own during the season. Near the end of the session, if the instructor hasn't covered the drills yet then ask them again and make they go over them with you. Then, on subsequent ski days, focus on those drills as much as possible - especially through the 1st several ski days of your season. Do the drills & burn up those legs. Muscle memory is a big factor in skiing well, so doing the drills often & doing them right is so important. Thus another mid-season "tune-up" instructor session is something I highly recommend, to make sure you're on course. You'll achieve skiing fitness faster and will surely improve your skills too.

The above is what I do almost every season. I do the "tune-up" sessions even if I feel I don't need them. It is just SO helpful to get a set of trained eyes on my skiing that can tell me how I'm doing and what I can do to improve and what drills to employ.

 

[TQA]

I am 70 and live full time on a sailboat in the Eastern Carib..I ski onc a year.

I start my routine about 6 weeks before skiing and do a little swimming every day. I snorkel a lot but with flippers and when swimming without flippers I think my legs get a better workout. I gradually increase the number of laps I swim around the boat.

Is there any particular in water exercise that anyone would recommend. .

 

[Corgski]

Tricia: Thank you! I just read all of its currently 6 pages. Highlights:


Younger Next Year: The Exercise Program
http://www.youngernextyear.com/best-guide-exercise-life-ever/
Book review anyone?

But before I do most of the above, someone mentioned seeing a personal trainer. That reminded me that my employer actually has a partnership with Barton Memorial Hospital where we can get an functional assessment resulting in a personal training regimen. I guess it takes a forum to remind me/make me see the obvious...

Thanks to all.

Just read the kindle version. I think it is a good book for anyone who has not been exposed to regular exercise regimes. I'd have no problem recommending the book to someone who is lookin for somewhere to start. There is enough flexibility to construct your own routine, I prefer this to more rigid prescribed routines.

That being said, this is not a book for the aging athlete, one can grow out of it fairly quickly. It does not give enough fundamentals to help design a more advanced regimen. It is not very technical, it pushes exercises in the hypertrophy range, which seems appropriate for most aging people but never mentions that or what the typical ranges are. It encourages using the full range of motion and performing reps to failure, with failure being a breakdown of form (technical failure). They do not push running and suggest instead of running on a treadmill setting it to walking speed at a steep incline. Certainly in line with what I hear elsewhere and my own experiences.

For strength training they list 25 exercises of which you choose a few. Not particularly impressed with this section but I do think it will help someone to get started without too much likelihood of getting hurt. The coverage of each exercise is trivial, with each exercise being described by a very brief paragraph or two, a picture and a few bullet points. The popular book Starting Strength has over a hundred pages on the squat alone (which is way more than I want to know about the squat).

I think most will outgrow this pretty quickly, but I can see that it could help someone set a foundation. For an alternative perspective on longer term progression, I suggest look at the Starting Strength program. Popular among younger guys but caters to a fairly broad demographic, their online forum has a section for older people. I am NOT recommending this program, (I don't follow it) but it will provide a different perspective on how to approach exercise. Mark Rippetoe is kind of the Harald Harb of the fitness industry (for better and for worse). Don't necessarily do what he says, like Harb he can be a little one dimensional, but take him seriously. I'd sum up his approach as "Grandma needs to stop being such a wimp and start lifting heavy." Some links below.

https://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2015/4/28/strength-training-at-age-92-with-mark-rippetoe
https://www.t-nation.com/training/rippetoe-throws-down
https://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2014/...nce-why-you-are-wasting-your-time-in-the-gym/
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-rippetoe/crossfit-good-bad-ugly_b_4420922.html