At 85 I still train about 15 people a week. I have trained one man for 55 years and another for 60 years.
The second man is 76 years old and still enters deadlift contests. His goal is to lift 400 lbs in the near future.
In his last contest he pulled 378 lbs – so he is well on his way.
The two men never work out more than one time a week. Even less most of the time. The younger man is 68 and will soon bench 200 lbs. Most guys his age have ruined their shoulders and can no longer bench.
More training is NOT the answer. I also train younger men. Three of them are 14-15 years old and another 16. I have been training people for 65 years and so I have seen the results of all kind of ways to train.
The above said, I want to make some statements that I know are the truth about training and about life.
#1 No one should train over twice a week. As you get stronger, try six times a month. (Twice every seven to 10 days. (Don’t be afraid of training less.
#2 Use a notebook and keep a record of your training. That way you can see if you are getting stronger. If you are like me at 85, then see if you are getting worse!!
#3 If you have bad joints and find it hard to train, then try statics.
Example – Curl – hold the curl in the hardest position for at least one minute and forty seconds. Forget about doing a second set, when you do statics. One set done with enough weight in the hardest position will convince you not to be trying a second set. A good static workout could look like this: Chest press, pulldown, press, row, hyper extension and a leg press.
This workout is not for people with healthy bodies but for those who can not work out in a regular manner.
...
