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Kettlebell Old, tired, stiff and sore.

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ricochet

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The title says it all.

I'm a 55 year old man that feels 95.

It hasn't always been like this; prior to 50 I felt pretty good. Since then, though, no bueno. I know I need to take action. The problem is, I can't decide the best place to start (Simple & Sinister, Original Strength, Yoga, Bodyweight Routines, Barbell Training, etc.). Each of those has their enthusiastic proponents. Because of that I'm suffering from too much info and too many choices.

Better mobility, more energy, greater flexibility, increased strength, less or no soreness, I want it all. Should I address each issue independently or is there an integrated program that will cover them.

I'm sure there are others on here that have traveled this same path at a similar stage in life.
How did you navigate it? What were your results? What would you do differently? What are your recommendations?
 
ricochet said:
Better mobility, more energy, greater flexibility, increased strength, less or no soreness, I want it all. Should I address each issue independently or is there an integrated program that will cover them.
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S&S will cover all these, if you choose to do it.

One thing my original kettlebell teacher @Al Ciampa taught me is that the warm-up is truly meaningful for someone who needs to "rebuild the chassis" as he put it. Goblet squats and halos are really powerful tools for good movement, increased ROM, getting back in touch with your body and how it moves, etc. When I first attended his classes he had just learned some of the Original Strength material. So we would start our class with rocking, head nods, goblet squat, halo. Repeat for 3 rounds. Then we would quadruped or spiderman crawl back and forth across the gym. Then we would do swings, then get-ups. Sometimes presses or farmer's carries. I did this for about a year before I went all the way into S&S as a daily program. It really brought me a lot of benefit!
 
OS resets before and mixed in with the workouts is working for me. I'm 56 and hear what you are saying. Simple & Sinister and other Strong First programmes are all great when doing them as intended. Listen to your body and do what you can with good form at each practice. I work mostly sitting at a desk and it is important for my mobility to try and keep moving during the day; OS resets, push ups, squats or anything else just to get blood flowing every 30 minutes if possible.
 
What is your current activity levels? Are you active at all? I would suggest get into building the habit of exercise and good diet. Aim for being active 3 times a week then expand as required from there. On your off days walking is fantastic for building a base of fitness, gets you outdoors and if you have a partner take them along as conversation really helps the miles go past. Which exercises to do? One that is easily accessible to you, within budget and something that you actually want to do. Enjoying something will encourage you to participate again and help builds that 3 times a week routine. For me it is yoga as it is relativity inexpensive as I attend classes in the local church hall, being largely indoors I don't have an excuse not to go when the weather is inclement, it is nice when we are outside in the summer or have an odd class organised for the beach. Having lots of people there also encourages you to go as you make a few connections with people with similar stories and background as to why they are there. Outside of yoga I do kettlebell and bodyweight work from programs I find at SF. I find this combination helps me from feeling old, tired, stiff and sore. I hope you find your medicine too. Good luck.
 
WhatWouldHulkDo said:
Do, or do not. There is no best.

Seriously, just pick one and go. You have plenty of time still to try them all.
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+1

If you're sedentary, anything is a huge improve:

S&S
Sun salutations
push ups & squats
TRX suspension trainers
yoga
pilates

They're all good, try one for a while, switch to something else when you've gained competency and are itching for a new challenge.
 
Hello,

I agree with the above. Pick one, see how it goes and then adjust if necessary.

You can also see it as something progressive:
OS / Pilate / Yoga -> Bodyweight training (SF has excellent articles on the blog) -> Weighted stuff (S&S is great for mobility as well).

I'd still assess mobility first because it will ensure the proper movement patterns. For instance, bad hips could lead to a poor squat position. It would lead to injury if high rep calisthenics are in the radar for example.

From there, you keep just the bare minimum of mobility you need, and you keep doing your regular S&C training.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
I feel the same: old & out of shape. For me, there is always the danger of paralysis by analysis - spending too much time researching the best plans and routines, and never actually doing anything.

This is what I do:
1. S&S daily. Because: "The swing, the get-up, and the goblet squat are the three most beneficial exercises anyone could do—period." - Pavel Tsatsouline. S&S is simple - minimal exercises to achieve great results - no further thoughts necessary. I read Pavel's sentence daily to remind me why I'm doing S&S and keep me motivated. Most days I will only do half of S&S - so Day 1 is 1H swings, Day 2 is TGU - my progress is slow - as this is what I can manage to fit in.

2. Mobility daily:
I do this warm up beginning to end every day as it includes joint circling, QL stretch, and full body stretches - I break it up through out the day - so do 10 mins in the morning, the next 10 mins in evening etc. I also do bent arm bar (with press) every day as mentioned in Flexible Steel - it is best bang for buck for upper body mobility.

 
All good advice, in addition to which I recommend another early Pavel routine based on my experience starting around age 50: Super Joints.

I use the SJ routine as a daily “recharge.” I also find it is a great warmup for my strength training that prepares my mind and body for the practice to follow.

SJ doesn’t get much mention on this forum these days. As I close in on 70, I feel the routine has been very beneficial to me, so I like to insert it into the conversation when I think it fits the circumstances.
 
Gerry K said:
All good advice, in addition to which I recommend another early Pavel routine based on my experience starting around age 50: Super Joints.

I use the SJ routine as a daily “recharge.” I also find it is a great warmup for my strength training that prepares my mind and body for the practice to follow.

SJ doesn’t get much mention on this forum these days. As I close in on 70, I feel the routine has been very beneficial to me, so I like to insert it into the conversation when I think it fits the circumstances.
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On that note there is also flexible steel, which may be of interest. Very interesting condensation of mobility routines into 6 movements.
 
I would start with whatever is most accessible to you and is most likely to be done consistently. After that, as you learn more and gain experience, you can always make changes if you feel it’s necessary. The important thing is to be doing something.
 
Bodyweight routines will point out flaws in your posture, joints etc. Combine it with yoga. Later you could add hinges like the deadlift and swing. But I'd start with Bridges.
 
You have to find something that you will enjoy and keep doing.
For me it was S&S and yoga, I feel they make good partners.
 
As others have said, Original Strength. The Pressing Reset book changed my life once I decided to go all-in. I do OS stuff all day long and my back pain and stiffness is as good as its been in 10+years.

The best thing is OS is "easy" and can supplement almost anything else you choose to do.
 
To what others have said, I'd just add: out of OS / Pilates / Yoga / Bodyweight / Barbell, what do you have access in your local community? From what you described in the initial post, you'd benefit a lot from proper coaching. So, you can narrow down your choices to what you have available around you (around you: some people have the motivation to drive 40 min each way to go the crossfit box, bjj, etc. I don't! Be very honest with yourself when making this assessment).

Besides, if do that, you'll also be part of a community; it helps with motivation and the implementation of Dan John's formula for success:

"Show up, don’t quit, ask questions"​

Good luck!
 
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