Looking for help training my Dad (75)

Phlog

Sgt Sprinkles
@Gold
Joined
Oct 11, 2012
Messages
22,252
Reaction score
10,746
I'm going to search the interwebs looking for info on training the old but was wondering if anyone here had anything to offer.

He asked me to help him so motivation ain't an issue, he doesn't want to go to a gym. He has mobility enough to do all compound lifts, only issue is his right leg is a lot weaker than his left, hangover from a childhood illness. He's had prostate cancer, survived but now the lower t is leading to lower muscle and bone strength. Rather than supplement t (which can be bad for the cancer situation apparently) he wants to try lifting to turn back time.

I reckoned some bodyweight stuff and resistance bands would be a place to start with a focus on the 4 compound lifts and assistance exercises in the 10-12 rep range.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!
 
Dr. Jonathan Sullivan has a book called the barbell prescription: strength training over 40. He's a rippetoe guy so you probably have an idea of the type of routine he will provide but he is very respected in the field fr what I've heard. He also has some YouTube videos and posts regularly in the startingstrength forums

~DaViD~
 
Will your dad have any sort of base to start with? Is he currently active with anything? Walking, biking, etc?
 
Will your dad have any sort of base to start with? Is he currently active with anything? Walking, biking, etc?

He cycles a few miles several times a week, captains a 40ft cat probably 2 months of the year although most of that is docked. Can get up out of a chair.

He said the main tell to him was that he was having to use the handrail on the airport stairs and go slower than everyone else also if he puts on a couple of kilos his back starts hurting. He's mobile and able to help me with clearing a garage etc, just on the verge of everything becoming an issue. On the verge of osteoporosis also, hence the interest in resistance training to reverse things into the right direction.

I've been sending him articles on old lifters for a few years but the patient needs to want it. Luckily he's come around.
 
Dr. Jonathan Sullivan has a book called the barbell prescription: strength training over 40. He's a rippetoe guy so you probably have an idea of the type of routine he will provide but he is very respected in the field fr what I've heard. He also has some YouTube videos and posts regularly in the startingstrength forums

~DaViD~
Thanks! He'll like the name so that'll have some millage on that alone
 
He cycles a few miles several times a week, captains a 40ft cat probably 2 months of the year although most of that is docked. Can get up out of a chair.

He said the main tell to him was that he was having to use the handrail on the airport stairs and go slower than everyone else also if he puts on a couple of kilos his back starts hurting. He's mobile and able to help me with clearing a garage etc, just on the verge of everything becoming an issue. On the verge of osteoporosis also, hence the interest in resistance training to reverse things into the right direction.

I've been sending him articles on old lifters for a few years but the patient needs to want it. Luckily he's come around.

Honestly, I probably wouldn't even have him start on squats. I'd do lighter upper body stuff and probably something like block pulls. I wouldn't have him deadlifting from the floor, even light, until you know he can get in position. I'd probably try to get him doing bodyweight squats at some point.

I think you'd probably just need to watch and plan as you go. It's going to be very dependent on his mobility.
 
Sounds about right, anyone got any ideas about his leg imbalance and how it relates to training?

Do I just start on unilateral stuff to get the weak leg up to speed or go into a lateral training method with some unilateral assistance stuff?
 
I know the standard is get an expert, but he won't do that, he'll only likely do this if I help him to do it alone at home.
 
What does he/you have access to in regards to equipment? Which childhood illness? What is his experience with strength training? How is his "diet"/eating, and sleep habits?
 
Last edited:
What does he/you have access to in regards to equipment? Which childhood illness? What is his experience with strength training? How is his "diet"/eating, and sleep habits?

I've got everything necessary for a compound lift programme at mine but we'll likely be putting together a gym at his with what we need as we need it. It's a farm so we might build a rack etc. Machines are basically out of the picture, free weights, bands etc are likely and that's how I train so I can help with the form the best in those modalities.

His experience is zero, he as far as I know has never played a sport or game in his life, but he started building his own house in his 60's and whilst I did most the heavy lifting he's always been a second in the two person lifts. Diet is focused on calorie restriction to maintain lower weight, but is pretty good and Mediterranean, sleep habits good.

Once he decides on something being the right way forwards he does it, it'll not be an issue to maintain a schedule or diet etc. The main problem was the cultural shift and that's happened.

Edit: the illness was tuberculosis and I believe part of the calf was destroyed by it. There's no pain in use and it responds to training, it's just that he's favored the good leg his entire life. No joint issues in the slightest (bastard).
 
I've got everything necessary for a compound lift programme at mine but we'll likely be putting together a gym at his with what we need as we need it. It's a farm so we might build a rack etc. Machines are basically out of the picture, free weights, bands etc are likely and that's how I train so I can help with the form the best in those modalities.

His experience is zero, he as far as I know has never played a sport or game in his life, but he started building his own house in his 60's and whilst I did most the heavy lifting he's always been a second in the two person lifts. Diet is focused on calorie restriction to maintain lower weight, but is pretty good and Mediterranean, sleep habits good.

Once he decides on something being the right way forwards he does it, it'll not be an issue to maintain a schedule or diet etc. The main problem was the cultural shift and that's happened.

Edit: the illness was tuberculosis and I believe part of the calf was destroyed by it. There's no pain in use and it responds to training, it's just that he's favored the good leg his entire life. No joint issues in the slightest (bastard).
Part of the calf destroyed as a result of TB? I've heard that TB can cause nerve damage, but don't know much about it. Anyway.

Man, good diet, good sleeping habits and no joint pain at 75? That's crazy, good for him.

Alright, it sounds like it's a pretty good starting point, but still take precautions. Don't let him "soldier" through stuff that's unsafe or rush him into heavy loading. It's hard to know exactly what he needs because well, we don't know him and can't see him in person. With that said, some general guidelines for training the geriatric/elderly.

Make it as comfortable and safe as possible to begin with. Meaning, stable exercises. You might need to make a lot of regressions initially to find a reasonable training level. That's why machines are a great way to ease into a training routine. It's safe and you have complete control, plus you can focus on improving muscle size and strength in isolation. There's also plenty of evidence to show that machine training improves functional outcomes like balance and daily activities in geriatric "patients". If that's not an option, you can do without. Going further:

1. Make sure to warm up properly and get the joints moving. General joint movement is severely underrated, especially for the elderly. Basic stuff, small hip circles, painfree reaches, shoulder circles, getting loose. Don't make it into "hardcore" mobility drilling, keep it pain free.

2. Take advantage of isolated exercises, sitting down, using a bench or being on the floor to preserve energy and have better control. Glute bridges, posterior tilting of the pelvis with ab contractions, clam exercise with bands, external shoulder rotations with bands, pushups on knees if possible (put something under knees to cushion) or pushups against a windowpane standing to change the angle and make it even easier (besides that you have to stand), so on.

3. Use isometrics and take advantage of eccentrics when you can. Isometrrics are extremely valuable here because you can create tension without using big ROM or high loads. It also helps with teaching him to active his muscles. Helps with co-contractions too, meaning hopefully activating ALL the muscles supporting the joint. In regards to eccentrics, as you age you cannot produce the same amount of force and velocity during concentric contractions, however eccentrics have the inherent benefit of increasing muscle tension and force during elongation. Important disclaimer with this, I would mostly use eccentrics during isolation exercises to begin with as it's easier to control and the balance requirements are not as limiting. Also, eccentrics cause greater DOMS which is important to be aware of. DOMS are killers at that age which is why you need to be diligent about GRADUALLY increasing the load over time. Don't go too fast.

4. Make compounds and basic movements easier. In that regard Oblivian gave good advice. Don't let him lift off the floor, use blocks. Better yet, practice the movement with a kettlebell or bag first before moving on. Same with squats. Start with maybe quarter BW squats with isometric holds. Move on to perhaps light goblet squats. Depending on his level. Then box squats or quarter/half squats with a safety bar if possible. Again, it all depends on where he's at and how he responds. You can use a chair as well and just do sit to stands. Here you can slightly pull the leg that you want him to work more on closer to his body. This will force him to put more weight on that leg when standing up. HOWEVER, I wouldn't focus too much on unilatal work to begin with, unless it's during isolation exercises. Just focus on having a well balanced weight distribution while doing the exercises as this will help reduce the imbalance, and give him a chance to get used to them.

5. To reiterate, make it "comfortable" and make it safe. He's not trying to be a world class athlete here. Be prepared to switch things around or regress exercises if needed. Higher blocks, higher box, less ROM, less weight, different exercise so on.

Start slow and keep us updated! He's going to be learning a lot of new stuff so cut him some slack. I'd like to give more feedback depending on what you decide for him and how it goes!
 
Last edited:
Part of the calf destroyed as a result of TB? I've heard that TB can cause nerve damage, but don't know much about it. Anyway.

Man, good diet, good sleeping habits and no joint pain at 75? That's crazy, good for him.

Alright, it sounds like it's a pretty good starting point, but still take precautions. Don't let him "soldier" through stuff that's unsafe or rush him into heavy loading. It's hard to know exactly what he needs because well, we don't know him and can't see him in person. With that said, some general guidelines for training the geriatric/elderly.

Make it as comfortable and safe as possible to begin with. Meaning, stable exercises. You might need to make a lot of regressions initially to find a reasonable training level. That's why machines are a great way to ease into a training routine. It's safe and you have complete control, plus you can focus on improving muscle size and strength in isolation. There's also plenty of evidence to show that machine training improves functional outcomes like balance and daily activities in geriatric "patients". If that's not an option, you can do without. Going further:

1. Make sure to warm up properly and get the joints moving. General joint movement is severely underrated, especially for the elderly. Basic stuff, small hip circles, painfree reaches, shoulder circles, getting loose. Don't make it into "hardcore" mobility drilling, keep it pain free.

2. Take advantage of isolated exercises, sitting down, using a bench or being on the floor to preserve energy and have better control. Glute bridges, posterior tilting of the pelvis with ab contractions, clam exercise with bands, external shoulder rotations with bands, pushups on knees if possible (put something under knees to cushion) or pushups against a windowpane standing to change the angle and make it even easier (besides that you have to stand), so on.

3. Use isometrics and take advantage of eccentrics when you can. Isometrrics are extremely valuable here because you can create tension without using big ROM or high loads. It also helps with teaching him to active his muscles. Helps with co-contractions too, meaning hopefully activating ALL the muscles supporting the joint. In regards to eccentrics, as you age you cannot produce the same amount of force and velocity during concentric contractions, however eccentrics have the inherent benefit of increasing muscle tension and force during elongation. Important disclaimer with this, I would mostly use eccentrics during isolation exercises to begin with as it's easier to control and the balance requirements are not as limiting. Also, eccentrics cause greater DOMS which is important to be aware of. DOMS are killers at that age which is why you need to be diligent about GRADUALLY increasing the load over time. Don't go too fast.

4. Make compounds and basic movements easier. In that regard Oblivian gave good advice. Don't let him lift off the floor, use blocks. Better yet, practice the movement with a kettlebell or bag first before moving on. Same with squats. Start with maybe quarter BW squats with isometric holds. Move on to perhaps light goblet squats. Depending on his level. Then box squats or quarter/half squats with a safety bar if possible. Again, it all depends on where he's at and how he responds. You can use a chair as well and just do sit to stands. Here you can slightly pull the leg that you want him to work more on closer to his body. This will force him to put more weight on that leg when standing up. HOWEVER, I wouldn't focus too much on unilatal work to begin with, unless it's during isolation exercises. Just focus on having a well balanced weight distribution while doing the exercises as this will help reduce the imbalance, and give him a chance to get used to them.

5. To reiterate, make it "comfortable" and make it safe. He's not trying to be a world class athlete here. Be prepared to switch things around or regress exercises if needed. Higher blocks, higher box, less ROM, less weight, different exercise so on.

Start slow and keep us updated! He's going to be learning a lot of new stuff so cut him some slack. I'd like to give more feedback depending on what you decide for him and how it goes!

That's a lot of great info, I'm going to have to sleep on that because it's really late!
 
i make great use of trx/sling trainers to get the poeple away from the machines and start doing more free exercises while standing up. you don't need much to work the big muscle groups. often i just tell the people, do 1 pull, 1 push and something for the legs and some bridges at the end. trx is great for just the standing pull and assisted squats or lunges. pushing would be "push ups" on a table, bench or the stairs. squats or lunges either free or via assistance from the trx. lots of reps at the beginning e.g. 15-20 or even more. for arms/shoulders i like standing curl & press with db's.

all the best!
 
i make great use of trx/sling trainers to get the poeple away from the machines and start doing more free exercises while standing up. you don't need much to work the big muscle groups. often i just tell the people, do 1 pull, 1 push and something for the legs and some bridges at the end. trx is great for just the standing pull and assisted squats or lunges. pushing would be "push ups" on a table, bench or the stairs. squats or lunges either free or via assistance from the trx. lots of reps at the beginning e.g. 15-20 or even more. for arms/shoulders i like standing curl & press with db's.

all the best!
Nice. I've never worked with trx slings, but I've always wanted to. If you don't have one, you can also use the back of a chair as support when doing standing squats. Just make sure it isn't going anywhere. Or a windowpane, table, so on.

That's a lot of great info, I'm going to have to sleep on that because it's really late!
Hey man, yeah sorry it was a bit winded. To summarize it more succinctly:

1. Get warm and loosen up.
2. Take advantage of physical support doing exercise, and isolation exercises.
3. Use isometrics as a tool, and perhaps eccentrics on isolation exercises.
4. Scale down compounds and adjust to fit his level.
5. Make it safe, comfortable and only gradually increase load.

The full read for context. GL man!
 
I'm going to search the interwebs looking for info on training the old but was wondering if anyone here had anything to offer.

He asked me to help him so motivation ain't an issue, he doesn't want to go to a gym. He has mobility enough to do all compound lifts, only issue is his right leg is a lot weaker than his left, hangover from a childhood illness. He's had prostate cancer, survived but now the lower t is leading to lower muscle and bone strength. Rather than supplement t (which can be bad for the cancer situation apparently) he wants to try lifting to turn back time.

I reckoned some bodyweight stuff and resistance bands would be a place to start with a focus on the 4 compound lifts and assistance exercises in the 10-12 rep range.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Have absolutely no advice , just wanted to say its cool af that your 75yr old dad wants to start lifting , and that he respects you enough to ask for advice/help.


Good luck.
 
My old man us much younger than yours but in worse condition. I had the biggest success with him when we were playful. He is sn ex wrestler so we would wrestle or Iwould teach him about boxing and hewould teach me about boxing.

My boss is 75 and is pretty much a golf addict. Perhaps golf is not a bad sport for your old man?
 
My old man us much younger than yours but in worse condition. I had the biggest success with him when we were playful. He is sn ex wrestler so we would wrestle or Iwould teach him about boxing and hewould teach me about boxing.

My boss is 75 and is pretty much a golf addict. Perhaps golf is not a bad sport for your old man?

Do you get much of a workout golfing?
Honest question, not being smarmy.
 
Do you get much of a workout golfing?
Honest question, not being smarmy.

you walk around a lot in the fresh air if you don't use a golf car. but i read that the golf green keepers use a lot of pesticide stuff to keep the lawn in top shape and you inhale that shit all day long if you hang around on the court. walking as an exercise itself is great.
 
I'm going to search the interwebs looking for info on training the old but was wondering if anyone here had anything to offer.

He asked me to help him so motivation ain't an issue, he doesn't want to go to a gym. He has mobility enough to do all compound lifts, only issue is his right leg is a lot weaker than his left, hangover from a childhood illness. He's had prostate cancer, survived but now the lower t is leading to lower muscle and bone strength. Rather than supplement t (which can be bad for the cancer situation apparently) he wants to try lifting to turn back time.

I reckoned some bodyweight stuff and resistance bands would be a place to start with a focus on the 4 compound lifts and assistance exercises in the 10-12 rep range.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

The reason any steroids are generally "bad" when someone has or has had cancer is because they promote growth, of muscle, of tissue of almost anything that can grow really. Some steroids were developed to be used to combat cancer, some were damn good at their job. The other issue is low testosterone is bad for cancer as well. His best bet would be to consult with a sports/cancer specialist who can recommend appropriate supplements that wouldn't increase the chances of his cancer returning.

My father has a cancer in his endocrine system, pretty much rules him out from most suppliments, which isn't ideal because he worked around the farm a lot and is unable to do a lot he used to do, I'm hoping as SARMs research continues Ostarine or LGD might be safe to use for him. But chances are he'll be dead long before those studies are done.
 
Nice. I've never worked with trx slings, but I've always wanted to. If you don't have one, you can also use the back of a chair as support when doing standing squats. Just make sure it isn't going anywhere. Or a windowpane, table, so on.


Hey man, yeah sorry it was a bit winded. To summarize it more succinctly:

1. Get warm and loosen up.
2. Take advantage of physical support doing exercise, and isolation exercises.
3. Use isometrics as a tool, and perhaps eccentrics on isolation exercises.
4. Scale down compounds and adjust to fit his level.
5. Make it safe, comfortable and only gradually increase load.

The full read for context. GL man!

The use of isometrics and eccentrics is something I hadn't considered, age reducing concentric force is interesting. Also the Doms being greater, that's got to be a killer. The physical support during exercise makes sense too, reducing the strain.

What you've done is to make me.realise how little I know, which is the start to knowledge so thankyou. Such a complex situation.

My boss is 75 and is pretty much a golf addict. Perhaps golf is not a bad sport for your old man?

He won't play a game of any sort, also he wants the bone density increase from lifting, also more muscle on shoulder etc for aesthetics and greater power for stairs etc. Lifting is definitely the thing. Golf is the sport that leads to greatest lifespan increase but correlation is not necessarily causation, wealthier people play it for example and have better diets, healthcare etc. Thankyou for your input though, wrestling and boxing with the old man would be amazing.
 
Last edited:

Forum statistics

Threads
1,234,249
Messages
55,267,634
Members
174,713
Latest member
F5CHAMPIONSHIP
Back
Top