Barbell Programming for over 60s

[Scott McL]

Hi,

My father is 66. He has had two knee replacements and a lumbar fusion in the last 3 years as a result of a lifetime of manual labour.

He has retired and wants to go and strength train in the gym for the first time in his life.

The program he was given by the instructor at the gym was generic and dangerous e.g. sit-ups requiring lumbar flexion despite the fusion, leg press machine etc.

I want to help him. I've replaced the abdominal exercises with Prof Stuart McGill's "big three" ab exercises. There is no reason why he can't bench and shoulder press, do chin-ups etc. I'm just drawing a blank about what hip hinge and squat exercises he should do. I was thinking maybe hex-bar deadlift from blocks for one.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Scott

 

[LukeV]

I know nothing about lumbar fusion but have mates who are lifting fine after knee replacements. Maybe encourage your dad to try everything but start light and increase the weight in small increments (ie making barbell and machine exercises with modifiable weights and small jumps preferable to body weight). On that basis problem areas should show themselves well before injury

 

[RichJ]

The oft cited "Barbell Prescription" J. Sullivan and A. Baker might be a good place to start to get some ideas. They've done some impressive work with trainees in their 70's 80's and even beyond. There are chapters in the book that talk about the "novice over 60" (and 70) and they go into some detail on partial range of motion box squats and other remedial measures. You might also listen to some of Sully's podcasts and have a look at Greysteel.org. I think you are right in exercising extreme caution - breaking stuff at that age is to be avoided at all costs.

Good luck to you and good on you for helping the old man.

 

[Steve Freides]

@Scott McL, welcome to the StrongFirst forum.

Best thing you could do for your Dad would be to hook him up with a good instructor. It sounds like the person you found at the gym wasn't what you're looking for.

From what you've said, I would start with a kettlebell deadlift, bell on a box to elevate it to a height where he can pick it up with a pure hip hinge and no spinal flexion. The standard progression I use is to increase the weight at the current elevation, then drop the weight way down but lower the bell about 2 inches, make sure there is zero spinal flexion, and work on building back up the weight this way. There is no need to get the weight on the floor, just go as far as he can in good form.

-S-

 

[Kyle Kowalczuk]

As far as squats go the air squat with heels elevated could be his squat variation. Build volume and not speed. Once adaptation causes it to be effortless and he can bang out many in one session, graduation to the goblet.

 

[Bill Been]

Seniors are not as fragile as we sometimes assume they are. You have to be able to “meet them where they are”, which is what Steve was alluding to with adjusting the height in a deadlift. Other equipment might involve lightweight aluminum training bars and of course fractional plates. RichJ is correct about “The Barbell Prescription” by Jonathan Sullivan. Sully makes his living specializing in strength training for older people and is a firm believer that their adaptive response is still fully intact but slowed, magnifying the importance of recovery.

Compounding the issue is the double edged sword of sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass) and poor absorption of protein from the GI tract that are present in older adults. This requires a big increase in protein intake, but too many seniors have embraced the “meat is bad for you” meme, so expect resistance there. On the other hand, sometimes us old dudes just say “bag it, following conventional wisdom hasn’t worked, let’s do something else”.

Trying to coddle seniors with “balance exercises”, body weight hoo-haws, and waving their arms around in a swimming pool has worked about as well as you should expect it to. Your Dad has expressed an interest in getting strong. Generally, older folks have learned to focus, have learned to shun the superfluous, and have learned that sometimes things are hard. These traits make them superb trainees. Read the book and figure out how to change the rest of his life.