August 15, 2021

In this newsletter . . .

For Seniors
Starting Out

(But old pros may find it informative too.)

You might ask how the exercises were selected? With just a few tweaks, they’re about the same routine as the beginners’ program at Ed Yarick’s gym, from way back in the 1950s, my first gym membership.

Now don’t let the ancient history scare you off.

Why Yarick’s? Well, superstars like Steve Reeves trained there. And some of the strongest men in the world lifted there. You couldn’t ask for a better trainer/coach, or nicer guy, than Ed Yarick.

Your first workout at Yarick’s was really an orientation, doing one set of about 12 reps of two exercises per body part. You learned to exhale on the push or pull of a movement; you inhaled on the return. And you controlled the weights in a steady up and down motion. No swinging or cheating them up, as many young beginners will do by using more weight than they can properly handle.

In more than a half-century since Yarick’s, I’ve never discovered a better way to introduce beginners to weight training. Some call it “old school.” That’s just the opposite of “cutting edge,” which can get a little cute and gimmicky.

If the old ways were so darned good, why did I bother to tweak them at all? Well, in the old days, cardio usually wasn’t a part of the training. Sixty-plus years ago, most new gym members were skinny young guys who just wanted to put on muscle. So they pumped iron and ate like a horse.

Times have changed

Sure there are still skinny guys today. But these days far more beginners have the opposite problem: they’re too fat. The sedentary life has taken its toll. Reasonable cardio, added to pumping iron, helps them trim down.

The trick is to do enough cardio to exercise heart and lungs, but not so much that it becomes catabolic. In other words, you want to build muscle, trim fat, while not neglecting your cardiovascular system.

Another tweak is that in Yarick’s day the vast, vast majority of beginners were young men and a few young women. Because of their youth, they could be pushed faster, harder. At Yarick’s your first workout was one set per exercise. The second workout, it was two sets. Then three sets at the third session. That ended the first week. Starting the second week, the quest began to lift ever-heavier weights and pack on muscle.

Today, many beginners are seniors. Pushing them like you would a 16-year old is crazy. You’re likely to discourage or even injure them. Allow their progress to be gradual and they’ll be just fine. So you push but push gently. See what I mean here. It’s absolutely free.

Stay healthy. Stay fit.

Logan

Senior Exercise Central

Are you on Facebook?

I search the Internet for senior health and fitness items. If you like what you see, please click the Like button. It helps me.

Your comments and questions are always appreciated. Simply click on the "Reply" bottom.

Sincerely,

Logan Franklin
The Gray Iron Fitness Newsletter
www.senior-exercise-central.com