70 Year old Bodybuilder - Melanie

I just posted the training routine and some of the diet a 70-year-old bodybuilder Melanie from England.   She is in incredible shape it looks like she's about 40 years old.  She has been training for most of her life and really hard for the last 15 years.

She is living proof that if we continue to train scientifically and watch your diet we can stay in shape and look great for our entire life. 

http://bodybuilder.com/

POWER TRAINING,

If you're going to be successful in developing your body you must not only be constantly trying to increase the amount of weights that you handle for your exercises, but at the same time you must also be very careful of the stress that you were placing on your shoulders, knees, and lower back.

I have seen athletes for over 30 years virtually ruin their joints by handling too much weight and only getting exercise from lifting weights  They begin to cheat when they do the exercises and when they start experience pain in her joints.

They stop doing perfect form and start to use their legs and lower back so they can handle the same amount of weights, or no longer do a full extension of the exercise.  And the more their joints ache, the less range of motion they use on the exercise that they are doing.  Which also means they are losing flexibility in their muscles and joints for they no longer doing a full range of motion. 

I would suggest that every athlete include some static and non-static stretching either during their work out or to different part of the day.  And that you also include at least 1-2 rest stays during the week when you should be doing some flexibility exercises and aerobics to let your joints relax and your muscles grow.  

In fact if you find your poundages are going down, your joints and body are racing, it is always good idea to take a day or two off and let your body recover and your muscles to grow.

Do not feel guilty about this and definitely do not keep training add keeping the weights up or you are risking the chance of serious surgery and having to lay off for months before you can train again

Training Routine 10/19/14

I have been working out and world's gym about two months now.  I go in early in the morning in the atmosphere is great a lot of serious people in there.  In order to train hard you knew to be around people who are positive and have a lot of energy and want to work hard. 

My strength is increasing steadily and this week and I will get a little more rest  and try to get some more aerobics in.  I am bringing my lunch and breakfast each day and have a healthy meal prepared when I come home at night. 

I am also getting plenty of sleep and rest for that is one key to being in great shape.  If you do not get enough rest your muscles will  not fill out or grow.  And as we age we need to maintain our muscle mass.

Training at Worlds Gym in Glendale 

I had some super training sessions the last three weeks at world gym.  They really have some serious bodybuilders and fitness people there and it makes it very easy to train hard and to get some serious weight lifting in.

My weight poundages have gone up significantly in the last month and I could definitely see and feel the results.  if you're going to train and you want results you do after increase your weights. You simply cannot put on muscle if you're handling super lightweights, and you really will not get any results either.

I sometimes jump rope for 10 minutes at the end of my workout and I'm still playing tennis and hiking too.  Now I did you just start to clean up my diet the next two weeks I get a little more sleep and see how far I can take this

I have big plans! 

Training news 09/15

My training has been going great so last week was a very busy and work at school,  My lifts are going way up, and  when the weights you're using increase so do your muscles. 

You simply cannot handle meaningless  lightweights add get any results except being toned.   If you want to get results you must be working to increase the weights you are handling.   

That being said you cannot sacrifice form though.   You need to maintain good form and all your exercises to get results and to prevent injury.

Just getting back to the training I took my leg press from 135 pounds to 350 pounds in about six weeks.  And my dumbbell bench presses from 25 to 65 pounds too

And I just getting in to the hard training now.

Training at Worlds Gym

Bed back to the gym for the last two weeks now and getting great results!  I work out about 5:50 AM to 6:50 AM and I go in a very rapid pace.

My weight poundages are going up but I still keep them under control and go for form first.   I have been also getting an aerobic workout for play tennis and from running sprints in the pool.

I have kept my diet very clean and each week try to add more healthy foods to it.   The next two weeks I'm going to try to start cutting off some of the carbs and lean up and see ho cut up  I can get.

6 feet 205 pounds now I will try to go around 200 by the end of next week.   Not bad for sixty years old

Training in the Swimming Pool - 07/19/14

I have been running sprints in the pool doing straights- running backwards sideways and jumping up. I alternate with treading water and go over 30 to 45 minutes of full sprints and some stress.
Played tennis today and flat out kicked ass!!!! I want four sets in a row against them the top players in SCV

I Run as fast as I can in the water for sprints, and then I do stride outs as long as a stride as I can also!  I then tread water  pushing as hard as I can with both arms and feet while I'm doing it.  I can Tread water easily for 30 minutes now while making the water really rise  what I'm doing it,  I mean making my legs and arms move rapidly.

It is an incredible high intensity low-impact workout! 

Training Update -7/10/14

My training world's gym is really escalating. In our work out in five times a week along with tennis and swimming.  My weight pal just going out and  am able to do more exercises each day. I'm going to start tightening up my diet

I'm going to steadily increase the power outages next 60 days, remove most of that from my diet, see what I can look like.  I only take about 30 seconds between each exercise is big enough to put equipment to use. 

Just three days of training at world gym

This picture was taken today right before I go play tennis

Then super busy teaching and so have been short on sleep and also diet is just and fair.  But I have got my routine up to a full hour now, and in fact I could go for another 30 minutes if I get up earlier

So this next week I'm going to train even harder give my diet cleaned up and see if I can keep increasing those weights. Doing mostly aerobics and lightweights the last 10 years so now to see how much I can increase them.

Free photo shoot for a bodybuilder/Fitness athletes who wants to take before and after pictures

Going to do photo shoots next week for all those bodybuilders and fitness people who want to do a before and after training session. We will do them twice a month and see what changes can be made

This is Debbie from Canyon country who is 64 years old and still training hard. Come on down if you can make it if not post your picks up here and tell us about your training

Bodybuilding at 60 years old

Well it's time for me now to really start training. I have been swamped training and also educating students for the last couple years. 

But from now on I'm going to make sure that I put in time on my own training and diet for want to see just what kind of shape I can get in!  

My current routine includes;

• Training at 6:15 AM Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
• Playing teaching tennis Monday – Tuesday – Wednesday – Saturday – Sunday
• Hiking or running sprints to three times a week

I am now going to start doing an extra work out and night twice a week, some yoga and flexibility, and some medicine ball and jiu jitsu workout.  

Plus I am going to try to tighten up my diet and to also make sure I have more time to relax and recover. 60 years old you can still handle very substantial weights we have to make sure you have perfect form and higher reps.  You also have to watch your weight is absolutely stupid to try and get too heavy when you're over 50 years old. This puts a lot of strain on your heart and internal organs will do no good at all.

In fact I know it will hurt your cardiovascular system it will put excessive strain when your joints and you will begin to lose movement and flexibility!  Remember is we age our bones lose strength and also some flexibility.  Therefore do not try to weigh more than you did or the same about you did if you were playing college football or another sport that required you to bulk up.

Trading over 50 you  have to be smart and use your mind as much as your body. We want to be able to move, be active,  and enjoy our life as we age. So let's made sure we train to be healthy, and have fun,

I will now post more pictures and the effects of my training once or twice a week. I will soon start the channel on YouTube.

Working the core muscles

This is been a hot button term for the last 10 or 15 years. Everyone talks about working the core. What the heck does that mean.

First of all there more than a few strength and conditioning coaches who feel that working the core is something they put minimum time into.   They feel it is a term used by trainers to train Hollywood celebrities and people who were not athletes.

The core muscles include both your abdominals and your lower back muscles. They are at the center of your body and they are versus what hold your body together. Virtually every movement or exercise you do involves those muscles. If they are strong and meet your posture is straight and for any athletic endeavor A strong core will enhance your performance,

And of course for bodybuilding or fitness having a strong core a flat stomach is absolutely necessary. And like it or not it is also the way most people at judge if you are in shape or not.  When you put on a bathing suit to to it or go swim or relax and Sun bath you want to have a flat well toned stomach. That is the standard for what is called a sexy body.

When you do exercises for the core they are not just for the muscles that we call the six pack. we are also working oblique muscles and also the muscles of our lower back. That means we are not just doing endless crunches. We are doing other movements that strengthen and also provide flexibility to our core muscles.

As a trainer I have witnessed many athletes who have incurred injuries by ignoring the core muscles and by also putting on excessive weight. Most excessive way is stored around the abdominal muscles. This weight then put extra pressure on your lower back to keep you in an upright position. This can waken your lower back and make you very susceptible to injury.

In addition any extra weight is going to put incredible pressure on your joints. Especially your feet and ankles knees and hips.  I do not care how much muscle you put on to try to make up for this excess weight your boat structure can only handle so much weight. It is like taking your car and starting to put 45 pound plates and it. There's become a point in time with your friend cannot support that way is going to collapse. So will your body

So you must keep this in mind as you start to develop your body had to train. We are all born with different types of bone structures and you need to take a good look at yours to see just how much weight you can carry. If you exceed this way but a large amount you are going to costly be injured and unable to train, and you will be most unhealthy.

And remember our goal for bodybuilding's health first. I don't care how much muscle you on if you feel awful it will not be worth it. And believe me I have known hi but it's a bodybuilders and Ashley's who have done just that. Well everyone is complimenting them on how big they are what's around the gym there most unhealthy.

Remember the abdominals are made up of four muscle groups. So we need to have a wide variety of exercises to hit all of these muscle groups. Many of these exercises consists of movement from a mat and also using an exercise ball. That's right bending down to pick up something also works your abdominals and your core.

Another group of exercises that address the core or Pilates.  These were created in the 1920s and they were designed to strengthen, tone, and develop the deep core abdominal muscles. They not only develop the abdominal muscles they also provide stability and flexibility when you were working out or playing a sport. They enable you to maintain body balance when you are moving in any direction. 

So make sure you do Core exercises in your workouts. You want to maintain a strong sleek,body, keep your lower back strong and flexible, and be able to maintain a good balance position all during the day. It will also help you create or maintain the hourglass figure that we all work hard to achieve.

I will soon put up some of my favorite exercises to about the car on my website

How much should you warmup 

before you exercise

How much should you warm up before you exercise? I have received thousands of e-mails from athletes- bodybuilders- and working people asking this question.

First of all it depends on your type of workout you will doing and also on your individual body type. That being said you need to follow some general guidelines

1) The best warmup for lifting weights is to do the exercises you are about to do with a light weight and go through the full range of motion. That will warmup your body muscles that you are just about to use. DO NOT GO YOUR HEAVIEST WEIGHT ON YOUR FIRST OR SECOND SET UNLESS YOU WANT TO GET INJURED!

2) Do not go to do a long aerobic workout before you lift weights. You can often burn up the glycogen from your muscles before you even workout a that will give you a worthless workout. You need the glycogen to help you lift and get results.!

3). But one thing you need to do is to get your body temperature up some before you start. Whether that is done on the treadmill or some quick light weights it does not matter as long as you have got your blood pumping.  If I did not want to do a light set of all my exercises for warmup sometimes I would get on a exercise bike and ride it with no tension for about 8 to 10 minutes to get my blood flowing

The physiological reason you do a warm up is to assist your circulatory system in pumping oxygen-rich blood to your working muscles. You want to increase circulation throughout the body in a gradual manner. A good warm up w ill safely prepare your body for the increased demands of your exercise routine. When your muscles are cold muscles they do not absorb shock or impact as well, and are more susceptible to injury.
Always make sure you do not just walk in and try to handle your heaviest weight. That just shows lack of discipline and patience in your workout and you will end up paying the price and injuries. 

How much protein do you need to compete

Recent studies have shown that the average American gets too much protein in their diet.  Of course being a bodybuilder or athlete you're not the average American. You are going to need more protein if you're training hard then they would because you will be breaking your body muscles down much more each day.

Athletes require more protein than inactive people to build, maintain and repair muscle and other tissues in the body. The more intense you train and the more intense your work out,  the more protein and nutrients you going to require to recover sufficiently.  If you do not get enough protein your body will not recover,  and you will actually lose muscle.   When you eat protein your body breaks it down into amino acids and these can be used for several different things. It can provide energy, but that is not it's main purpose. It is used for building and repairing muscle and tissues, red blood cells, hair and finger nails and for synthesizing hormones.

Extra protein does not build muscle or bulk. For that you need to increase your exercise level. If you do not exercise the protein was just sit your body and it will soon flushed out.

So make sure you get plenty of protein in your diet each day. That will ensure that your body can recover and make games that you agree should training well

Following link provides a good list of some of the most protein rich foods to eat

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/athletes-need-protein-inactive-people-2794.html

Should you handle Heavy or Light Weights to get Results 

This question has been asked for years now from every bodybuilder, fitness competitor, and athlete in every sport.

In over 40 years of training and training  with athletes I have seen it all.  From bodybuilders and athletes doing Max lifts of 1-3 reps in almost every workout to some huge athletes doing sets of benches with 135 lbs, but doing every rep as slow, controlled and with as perfect form was possible.   

So there is a wide variety of different philosophies out there on what you should be doing for the best results.  So here are some initial tips on what to do:

• Do not got for max lifts more than once a week 
• DO NOT CHEAT ON YOUR LIFTS AND USE BAD FORM
• Do not use so light a weight that you are not straining at all to finish your set
• Do not lift heavy all the time - it will be to hard on your joints 
• Throw a high rep - light weight day in your routine every two weeks.   

Also do not overtrain!    If you are constantly tired and dragging then you are not going to be making any gains either.  Take a day or two off or better yet do some cross training.

Speaking of cross training I always do some form of cross - sport training.   My routine includes 

• Tennis - I am ranked player and coach
• Sprints -  Agility drills - LOVE THEM
• Jiu Jitsu - wrestling -  a great way to get strong, flexible, and have fun
• Hiking -  we have a ton of great hiking trails here

Now all of these activities burn calories, work my fast twitch muscles,  work my core,  and build explosive muscles density.   I LIKE to eat and so by cross training I am not eating dry chicken breasts and dry salads which i did when I was bodybuilding and had stopped cross training.  Those days are gone forever.  

Now I can eat a healthy diet but sill have carbs when I want to.  AND I do.

My routine is weights -  Monday - Tuesday  - Thursday - Friday and i have a max of 15 -30 seconds between sets.  I KEEP MOVING BETWEEN SETS!   I do anywhere from 4 -10 reps and 3 sets of each exercise. 

REST?  I have heard and believe the saying " you are not ever overtrained you are just under rested" .   You need to have some down time and you need to  have some fun.   Do not ignore your Family.   Get out to a park and hike-  play tennis - basketball-  go bowling - swimming and TAKE EVERYONE!    That means go out and exercise and have fun while you do it. 

Keep track of your weights and try to increase them 

When is the Best Time to Train for Bodybuilding or Fitness

I spent over 17 years training a 4am at Golds Gym in Venice Beach California. Now I did not think anything about this for there were 20-40 other people in there also by 4:30AM and that included many females bodybuilders and athletes.

Was I stiff at that time of the morning? Not really but it does take longer to warmup the earlier you start. And you may not be as strong as you will be in later in the day, but I found that my strength was just about the same in the morning as it was in the afternoon. 

But you will also get your workout in each day not matter what happens for nothing, work-Family- etc issues will not be able to interfer with your workouts for you will have already got it in before you start your day.

Yes as you get older you will sometimes you need to stay late at work, you have dinner meetings, and Family events which will make you postpone or cancel your workout.

Now for some technical analysis. ! The latest research on your body's circadian rhythms, which are its internal clock, have shown that the peak of several of the most important (anabolic) hormones occur at both 3 and 11 hours upon your awakening. Well, according to science, if you wake up at 5:00 am, you are at your strongest at either 8:00 am and 4:00 pm..

Furthermore according to many strength coaches - such as Olympic Strength Coach Charles Poliquin, your joints like your knees, shoulders, may not be warm first thing in the morning.

What they are referring to is the synovial fluid which lubricates your joints require about 3 to 4 hours to reach an optimal level of warmth which will increase your bodies flexibility. This will provide a increase in athletic performance while decreasing the chnces of injuries.

So if you have the time to train at the 3 or 11 hours upon wakening then you now know it is your optimum training time. But do not worry if you do not. Some of the best bodybuilders and athletes in the world have trained at every hour of the day. When i was in at 4AM many of the top bodybuilders and athletes where right in the gym with me

Are you training for a sport or want to increase your speed or power? Then try plyometric training.

http://power4sports.blogspot.com

Flexibility training 

This is something that we all  need to do regardless of our age. 

As we age of course the first thing that we lose is flexibility.  Our muscles. spine, and joints tighten from the force of gravity,  aging of our body and the pounding that we do each day.  This causes injuries, curvature of the spine, and can also cause arthritis in our joints.

So we need to spend time lengthening and elongating out body each day.   This can be done with traditional exercises like yoga which are static or they can also be done with non-static exercises like karate - jiu jitsu etc.  

I like a combination of both methods.  But either method you choose you need to make sure you get your body temperature up so that your muscles are warm and you can then stretch your muscles to that maximum ability.   When you body is cold you muscles are tight and inflexible.  That is the reason the so cold "Hot Yoga" classes are so hot for they heat your body up as you do the stretches. 

I really like to use the pool in the summer for flexibility training.  I can do high knee running from side to side - also high knee side -to side shuffle running to start off.   I also do high knee kicking ands arm pumping when treading water for 30 minutes sessions.  

I then do high kicks as i walk from side to side -  burpees in the shallow end - and squats and kickbacks in the shallow end.  I follow this up with explosive jumps across the pool.

You can use a chair to do a variety of stretching exercises bringing your knee up from the front and the side,  and also then doing slow karate kicks to the front - side - and back.  Do them slow and controlled.  Do not jerk your body as you do them.  Keep balanced and controlled at all times.   We also lose some our balance functions as we age so this is a great set of exercises to do. 

Do not always handle heavy weights all the time.  You need to have some light - form days to take the stress off of your joints and to also keep your body flexible and injury free.  Also this is where cross training comes in ( jiu jitsu) etc to keep your body flexible and to keep from getting stale in your workouts. 

If you are sitting in front of a desk all day make sure to get up every 15 minutes or so and move around and do some stretching.  Do not sit in the same position either.  Change your position every 15 minutes.  I also like to sit on a exercise ball instead of a chair,  The ball takes a lot of stress off of your spine and also stretches your spine out as you move around on it too. 

So add flexibility training to your routine each week and make sure you keep it there for the rest of your life

Cross Training 

Simply put I believe in it.  To do the same routine each day not only causes boredom and staleness in your training, but it also will cause you to lose motivation, skip workouts and most importantly to not make gains or improvement.

For this means playing competitive sports,  I play tennis,  run sprints, hike mountain trails,  do jiu jitsu,  yoga-, etc.  

I love to be outside when I exercise so these sports are perfect for that.  Plus they keep me in great shape, burn calories, and make me refreshed when I am in the gym with the weights. 

Do they make you lose some bulk? Maybe a little but who wants to now be able to move the muscle that they have right? 

When is the best time to train 

I spent over 17 years training a 4am at Golds Gym in Venice Beach California. Now I did not think anything about this for there were 20-40 other people in there also by 4:30AM and that included females.

Was I stiff at that time of the morning? Not really but it does take longer to warmup the earlier you start. And you will not be as strong as you will be in later in the day.

But you will also get your workout in each day not matter what for work-Family- etc issues will not be able to intefer with any of your workouts for you will have already got it in before you start your day.

Yes as you get older you will sometimes you need to stay late at work, you have dinner meetings, and Family events which will make you postpone or cancel your workout.

Now for some technical analysis. ! The latest research on your body's circadian rhythms, which are its internal clock, have shown that the peak of several of the most important (anabolic) hormones occur at both 3 and 11 hours upon your awakening. Well, according to science, if you wake up at 5:00 am, you are at your strongest at either 8:00 am and 4:00 pm..

Furthermore according to many strength coaches - such as Olympic Strength Coach Charles Poliquin, your joints like your knees, shoulders, may not be warm first thing in the morning.

What they are referring to is the synovial fluid which lubricates your joints require about 3 to 4 hours to reach an optimal level of warmth which will increase your bodies flexibility. This will provide a increase in athletic performance while decreasing the chnces of injuries.

So if you have the time to train at the 3 or 11 hour upon wakening then you now know it is your optimum training time. But do not worry if you do not. Some of the best bodybuilders and athletes in the world have trained at every hour of the day.