As I enter my sixth decade of life, body weight training has become my primary fitness activity. Along with trail walking/running, this combination has provided a perfect routine to maintain health and strength as I get older.
Body weight training is less stressful on the body, specifically the joints. As a central component required for body movement, they require more care later in life. This form of training also helps stabilize balance. After incorporating a new exercise, the brain actually creates new neural pathways for increased efficiency. This particular exercise used to always cause me to topple:
A simple one-legged raise that used to be difficult, no longer is. It was upsetting to see that my body was so out of sync, but when I think about it, how often do we do stuff on one leg? Regardless, I was still upset and made it a mission to improve my overall balance.
My flexibility also shows significant growth as well. I can now touch my toes with my feet together without any warmup (doesn’t really seem like much, but it is to me).
My flexibility shows significant growth as well. I can now touch my toes with my feet together without any warmup. It doesn’t really seem like much, but it is to me. It’s a quiet triumph and soft display of mastery over my body. I remember reading a long time ago, that touching your toes is a sign of heart health. I’m not sure how accurate it was, but it makes sense and has stuck with me.
When’s the last time you did a jumping jack? Probably since high school. Those are also a form of body weight training. I use them to warm up before a short walk.
I don’t do jumping jacks if I plan on running or walking the trail for more than thirty minutes. They are pretty taxing to the older body, and I don’t want to expend too much energy before the trail.
My absolute favorite body weight exercises are pushups. All forms. From the standard pushup to the ridiculously difficult diamond pushup to the unheard of typewriter pushups, each variant targets specific upper body muscles. A quick, twenty-minute pushup rotation functions like a HIIT session. I can burst through them all or extend the session and drop down and give myself twenty at any time.
Other effective body weight exercises include squats (all forms), planks (even one minute will provide gains) and core engagement exercises (reverse crunches,etc.). I often incorporate more than one of these, as you can see in my linked video, for increased difficulty and engagement.
Body weight training has become my preference for a myriad of reasons. I can perform them anywhere and the workplace is the perfect location. I can do a quick set between tasks in about two minutes and spread different exercises across the entire shift. At home, there is no equipment needed, and I can train during commercials while watching football or during cutscenes while playing one of my RPGs.
If you are headed into the later decades of your life like I am, body weight training can provide a great alternative to heavy weights, which can be stressful to an older body. Combined with light weightlifting and trail walking/running, it is the perfect fusion for my age and fitness goals.
Jay Owens 