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Other/Mixed 50+ age and S&S training....

Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)
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KIWI5

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Question to those who know: can an 'older' person still train S&S on a daily basis? The importance of recovery as we age is why I ask...I haven't properly trained S&S yet, but I wonder about the volume and the potential for overtraining. (note: I am 51 or 52- either number is close enough)
 
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You definitely can but you have to be smart about it. First of all make sure your technique is sound. If that means having a few sessions with an SFG then do it. Second...don’t start out too heavy. Even if you’re a big strong guy start out with a 16kg bell and give your tendons and ligaments a chance to adapt. Third...don’t get in a hurry. It’s not a race. Don’t try to meet the 16 minute standard everyday.

Don’t worry about when you’re going to make “Simple” or if you ever make it at all. Maybe test yourself once every few weeks or so but if you do 90% of your training A+A style, keep the weight reasonable, and move up in weight when your body is ready I can just about guarantee you won’t have any recovery problems training 6-7 days a week.

Personally I prefer 5-6 days a week just so I don’t put undue pressure on myself because life gets in the way sometimes. I’ll be 60 in a few months and have been physically active my whole life. I can say without a doubt S&S is the ONLY program I have ever done that allowed me to workout everyday with no recovery issues and not a bit soreness...and I have lots of old nagging injuries and arthritis. Also be sure to keep the stress in your life as low as possible, eat sensibly, get plenty of sleep and you’ll be good to go and miles ahead of most guys even 20 years younger than you.
 
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Yes a 50 something can train almost daily doing S&S following the guidelines, as described very well above by @Hasbro. Doing it at higher intensities than the intention then more recovery days are needed but that's not particularly age related! Nor is it S&S.
 
Sound advice from Hasbro. I am closing in on 70 and my high school 50th reunion was a couple of years ago. There was a long list of those no longer with us and a number of class members in wheelchairs. It is a combination of injury history, illness, and genetics.

I personally practice S&S everyday. Life does get in the way so maybe I will do some other activity, grass cutting or snow shoveling, some days. The key point is an off day isn't a day off.
 
Question to those who know: can an 'older' person still train S&S on a daily basis? The importance of recovery as we age is why I ask...I haven't properly trained S&S yet, but I wonder about the volume and the potential for overtraining. (note: I am 51 or 52- either number is close enough)
Solid advice given thus far.
As long as you are medically cleared to train and have no contraindicating issues, then by all means you can train S&S on a daily basis.
 
I’m 60 and I practice S&S 5 days a week. However, I probably could do it 7 days but 5 seems to fit in with my life best at the moment. I have recently completed the SF 1 day KB course which has improved my technique greatly and since doing that I have reduced the weights that I am training with while I continue to refine my technique and own the weight. When I was in my 50’s and for many years before my main problem was training too hard, too much with poor technique. I train much more wisely now.
 
I practice S&S four to five days a week. Fits nicely with the lifestyle I have (fulltime job and dance teacher in the evenings). Oh, yes, I'm 53.
 
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I will be 58 next month - I don't do S&S but practice daily swings / snatches and bent press or press ups. I see no reason why you can't do any programme if you are sensible. I also practice weekly martial arts training and try to walk a bit most days. I have responsibilities as a carer to my wife so try to stay fresh for anything that I have to do.
Works for me and long may it continue.
 
Great personal stories- after having read "The Barbell Prescription" and listened to Mark Rippetoe discuss the hazards of excessive volume for 'Masters Athletes'- I was wondering how this applied to KB swings/TGU's. I've developed some sort of rib injury (costochondritis?) that is slowly healing after 4 days light duty, the cause would be a combination of stress, weight lifting, KB swinging, TGU's, Chainsawing/Chopping/Stacking wood and generally running myself down. Once I come out of this rib thing- I'm going onto a new programme of an S&S plus one lift (Bench/Squat/KB Press) done four times per week (going heavy/light on squat). Lifts will be done at 80% of my 1RM, adding a kilo every month or so, as I feel like it. This will allow me to finish all the winter prep while adding a couple of days mobility and one day off. As the outside chores reduce, I will consider adding a pure S&S day- I also ordered the Original Strength book- looks very interesting...thanks again for the inspiration.
 
Thanks for that what is A&A?

It stands for Alactic+Aerobic. I don’t have time right now to explain it in detail but if you search the article section on the site you’ll find lots of info explaining it a lot better than I can. In a nutshell you want to keep your swings at no more than 10 per set and give yourself plenty of time between sets to recover. I like to pace back and forth until my heart rate comes down and I feel recovered enough to do another set at full intensity.

Some people do EMOM (Every minute on the minute) where you start your swings at the top of every minute and that gives you approximately 40-45 seconds of rest each set. For some people this works fine but I like to go by feel and usually for me that works out to a set about every 75-90 seconds. Just depends on your present state of conditioning and the weight size you’re working with. You’ll also have good days and not so good days and that’s why I don’t look at the clock and just let my body dictate when to start the next set. Just don’t take it to the extreme and allow yourself to completely cool down.

What you don’t want to do is to try and get 10 sets of 10 reps crammed into 5 minutes every day. It’s fine to test yourself every so often but making that a daily goal will beat you up and besides that the program was never intended to be used that way. The TGU is a little different since it’s more of a grind instead of a ballistic move but the principle is the same. Do one TGU at a time and rest adequately between them. Don’t worry about the clock!

If I were you I would do this starting out......
Swings: 10 sets of 10 reps with a 16kg and rest for 1-2 minutes between sets depending on how you feel.
TGU’s: 10 sets of 1 rep (5 each side) with a 12kg or less and rest for 2-3 minutes between sets depending on how you feel.

You can eventually compress the rest times as your body adapts and then every few weeks test yourself against the 16 min standard if you want (100 swings in 5 min...1 min rest...10 TGU’s in 10 min) When you get to the point where that’s doable then you might consider moving up to the next size KB. Just take your time, have patience , and work within yourself.
 
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Appreciate the thread and various comments here - I am closing in on 50 and the thought of it has had me freaked out a bit. Hope to continue my active lifestyle as long as I reasonably can.
 
54 here..not a lot to add but MUCH respect for my 50, 60, 70+ colleagues who are still knockin' it out!!


Today's training was 56 KG swings (7); 32 KG one/hand swings (5L/5R); 32KG getup each side, jump to an 8 1/2~9 foot bar and hit 5 strict pullups. Seven total rounds. Follow that with one farmer's walk with double 56KG bells for 314'.

Tomorrow morning will be Press/Hi-Bar pullup ladders: 1 - 5 presses each side, followed by same number of pullups. Five total ladders.

This is followed by 48KG/56KG farmer's walks for 150~250'. Those are preceded by either 21 pullups or 3 chinups with 16KG attached. Either five or seven total.

Thursday will be hosting a kettlebell club with @Anna C That will be light movements and demos.


My point is: don't worry. You are a sum of your habits. If your habits include S&S, you can easily do it daily with the occasional break. If you are over 50, so what? An intelligently well maintained body doesn't just fall apart. A poorly maintained mid 40's to 50's body does just fall apart..kinda like the car that never gets its oil changed, or tuned up, or radiator flushed.

As I tell trainees, your body's strongest muscle is the one between your ears. Be smart, be a slave to your limitations while gently pushing the envelope to smartly expand those limitations and sometimes, to quote my wife, "you just gotta grab a root and growl!"
 
Appreciate the thread and various comments here - I am closing in on 50 and the thought of it has had me freaked out a bit. Hope to continue my active lifestyle as long as I reasonably can.
The stories of those on this thread are inspiring to me as one who is quickly approaching 50. Thank you! I hope that in a few year's time I can be a similar inspiration for others.
Perhaps surprisingly, S&S appealed to me because I am nearly 50. The near daily moderate training within one's means seems sustainable. The focus on development of skill through practice plays to the strong suit of the "senior set" - patience. The Swing and the Get Up are the perfect antidote to my corporate desk work. I just move better and feel better doing S&S as often as possible.
 
Yes, you most certainly can perform S&S almost daily after 50. I am 51, well closer to 52 now, and with focus and & regularity, I should be using the 32 kg this year. Like others have said, get medically cleared, and recovery is vital.
 
I just turned 53 and don't take my age into consideration at all in programming my training.

That doesn't mean I do or can train or play sports the same way I did when I was younger. I'm (maybe) (a little) smarter about balancing work and recovery, and making my work more efficient and productive. And I have to work around various current and past sports injuries.

But I never think in terms of "I'm X years old, so I can't do this, or have to do that."
 
54 here..not a lot to add but MUCH respect for my 50, 60, 70+ colleagues who are still knockin' it out!!


Today's training was 56 KG swings (7); 32 KG one/hand swings (5L/5R); 32KG getup each side, jump to an 8 1/2~9 foot bar and hit 5 strict pullups. Seven total rounds. Follow that with one farmer's walk with double 56KG bells for 314'.

Tomorrow morning will be Press/Hi-Bar pullup ladders: 1 - 5 presses each side, followed by same number of pullups. Five total ladders.

This is followed by 48KG/56KG farmer's walks for 150~250'. Those are preceded by either 21 pullups or 3 chinups with 16KG attached. Either five or seven total.

Thursday will be hosting a kettlebell club with @Anna C That will be light movements and demos.


My point is: don't worry. You are a sum of your habits. If your habits include S&S, you can easily do it daily with the occasional break. If you are over 50, so what? An intelligently well maintained body doesn't just fall apart. A poorly maintained mid 40's to 50's body does just fall apart..kinda like the car that never gets its oil changed, or tuned up, or radiator flushed.

As I tell trainees, your body's strongest muscle is the one between your ears. Be smart, be a slave to your limitations while gently pushing the envelope to smartly expand those limitations and sometimes, to quote my wife, "you just gotta grab a root and growl!"
Respect! That is a solid workout - nice commentary to boot.
 
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