Getting Fit at 50 ...And Beyond: The Strategic Way to Get into Shape

By Dan Buck

This book is for all you babyboomers out there who always wanted to get into great shape but your lifestyle didnt quite allow it. Now youre over 50 so its too late, right? WRONG! Youre not as old as you think, and bodybuilding can make you look and feel years younger. This book will show you how to gradually get back into exercising, slowly and safely. Ill show you how to transform your body, gradually conditioning it to be more durable. Do you still have the heart? The desire? All you need is 30 minutes a day in the privacy of your own home or the gym.

This book has no gimmicks about getting ripped in 90 days or losing inches off your waist in 6 weeks. Why do you think so many people fail trying these types of programs? They are promised huge results in a short amount of time. Changing your physique is a slow process, especially as your grow older. At the age of 49, I had allowed myself to get way out of shape. I made the decision to be as fit as possible when I turned 50. I gave myself one year to accomplish this. When you take my slow but sure strategy, you wont get discouraged because youll see the results, slowly and surely. Do you want to shed that shirt when you mow your yard? You and everyone around you will notice a big difference in your physique. When youre finished with my program your body will be a solid foundation. Then just 15 minutes a day will maintain the body you built. Cmon! Give yourself one year! Whats one more year when it will get you in the best shape possible and make your life easier, healthier, and more fulfilling. This book is written in a simple and easy to understand format to guide you on your exciting journey to a lean and muscular body. TO BE FIT!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493114245

Dan Buck

First and foremost I am a babyboomer. I’ve been exercising since I was a teenager. I’ve always stayed in pretty good shape, but when I was nearly 49, I had allowed myself to get way out of shape. I made the decision to be as fit as possible by the time I turned 50. Giving myself one year to do this, I came up with a unique strategy. My favorite sport has always been weightlifting. I like the intensity and individuality of it. I’ve never been the strongest, but I’ve always felt like I was the most durable.

Book preview

Getting Fit at 50

…and Beyond

THE STRATEGIC WAY TO GET INTO SHAPE

DAN BUCK

Copyright © 2014 by Dan Buck.

ISBN: Softcover 978-1-4931-1423-8

Ebook 978-1-4931-1424-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 03/26/2014

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris LLC

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

551133

CONTENTS

PREFACE

CHAPTER 1: GETTING FIT AT FIFTY… AND BEYOND

GETTING STARTED

REST PERIODS

MOVING ON

PACING YOURSELF NOT TO QUIT

CHAPTER 2: BODYWEIGHT / MEASUREMENTS AND MAKING DECISIONS

HOME VERSES GYM

FREE WEIGHTS VERSES MACHINES

BARBELLS VERSES DUMBBELLS

MORNING VERSES EVENING WORKOUTS

LIFTING ALONE

YOUR LIFESTYLE

WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?

CHAPTER 3: 20 BENEFITS OF WEIGHT TRAINING

PROGRAMS THAT LOOK TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE… ARE

CHAPTER 4: RECORDING WORKOUTS

SAMPLE BICEPS WORKOUT; ABBREVIATED

EXAMPLES OF ABBREVIATIONS:

EXAMPLES OF HIGHLIGHTED INFORMATION:

CHAPTER 5: WHEN TO EAT—WHAT TO EAT

CARBOHYDRATES

PROTEIN

FATS

VITAMINS, MINERALS & SUPPLEMENTS

PROTEIN POWDER

CREATINE (OPTIONAL)

GLUTAMINE (OPTIONAL)

A TYPICAL DAY

CHAPTER 6: MOTIVATION

GETTING BURNED OUT

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH

STAYING MOTIVATED

CHAPTER 7: INTENSITY TECHNIQUES

MUSCLE CONFUSION

INTENSITY TECHNIQUES

BUILDING BIGGER BICEPS

CHAPTER 8: DEALING WITH INJURIES AND LIFTING AROUND THEM

SPECIFIC INJURIES AND HOW TO TREAT THEM

HELPFUL STRETCHING EXERCISES FOR THE LOWER BACK

BREATHING

STRETCHING

LEG SORENESS

CHAPTER 9: CARDIOVASCULAR WORKOUTS

COMMON CARDIOVASCULAR WORKOUTS

SAMPLE UNEVEN PACES:

CIRCUIT TRAINING… THE PERFECT WORKOUT

SAMPLE CIRCUIT TRAINING WORKOUTS

CHAPTER 10: EXERCISES

SAMPLE WORKOUTS

CHAPTER 11: EXERCISE EXECUTIONS

BICEPS

FOREARMS

TRICEPS

SHOULDERS AND TRAPS

BACK

LEGS

CHEST

STOMACH

HAND STRENGTH

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MY CREDENTIALS

I would like to dedicate this book to my loving wife Sonja, the sweetest lady I’ve ever known. Always there for me, always backing me. Thank you Sonja, for helping with this book from beginning to end. I would also like to thank my daughter Madison for all her help and support, my son Dan for all his help, support, and for being my photographer, and my son Eric for all his help, support, and for helping me promote this book. I also want to thank my sister Roxy for the wonderful letter she wrote me commenting on my physique.

X:\1-New Submissions\1 - In Progress\142053-BUCK\Others\RMeyer\COMPLETE MS\Dads book pics.jpg

PREFACE

Everyone wants to look good. The huge plus with bodybuilding is you look great and feel much younger. It’s a win-win situation. When you train hard and you’re feeding your body all the water and nutrients it needs, you’re getting healthy inside and out. Your heart, lungs, digestive system and circulatory system are getting more efficient. Even your bones are getting stronger. Weightlifting is also a major stress reducer. Naturally everyone wants the bigger muscles and defined stomach, but look at what else you’re getting. You’ll feel better and live longer and healthier. You will be more energetic and sick less often. Another huge plus is when people get older they often need help with simple chores they used to easily do when they were younger. Anything from carrying groceries, taking trash to the curb and shoveling snow can be challenging as you age. NOT IF YOU’RE IN SHAPE! When a project comes up that involves physical exertion, not only will you be capable of doing the job, chances are you won’t even get sore because you’re conditioned. You don’t want to depend on family members or pay someone to do simple things like mowing or raking leaves. This gets expensive and often you’re not satisfied with the job when it’s done. The point I’m trying to make is this: If you are in good shape in your 40’s and 50’s, and you keep yourself toned into your later years, you won’t have to depend much on others. Let’s be independent for as long as possible! You’re going to be around for a long time, especially now that you’re taking care of yourself.

Getting Fit at Fifty and Beyond stands alone as a guide for the aging man to get back in shape and stay in shape. This unique bodybuilding book is geared towards babyboomers.

Most people are more concerned with making money than they are with taking care of their bodies. Babyboomers want that nest egg so they can live comfortably and be financially stable after retiring, but how comfortable will you be if your body is rundown? Being unhealthy will also cost you money in health care. And what about enjoying retirement? People that exercise and eat right are going to be able to stay active in their later years. The more you abuse your body, the less active you will become, and the sooner you’ll need assisted living. You lose about a pound of muscle each year that you don’t weight train, and that’s just the muscle aspect of it. Weight training also strengthens bones and joints, which in turn improves arthritic conditions. It also improves posture, coordination and balance which is extremely important as we age. The older you get the more you realize, the best investment you can make is to take care of your body.

Many problems that were thought to be related to aging we now know are caused from disuse of the body. I’ve worked with some people who choose to go all day without eating and will smoke instead. Others have chips and a pop or cookies for lunch. One coworker extremely out of shape once said to me I won’t go to the doctor. He’ll just tell me to quit drinking, lose weight and exercise. Another one I’ve heard many times: Oh well, you gotta die from something. How can people just live for today without caring about the pain, suffering and limitations it will cause them in the future? Fitness guru Jack LaLanne once said People have coffee, a doughnut and a cigarette for breakfast and wonder why they feel like crap. If babyboomers don’t change the way they take care of themselves and stop misusing their bodies, there will be an epidemic of people needing assisted living.

Weight bearing exercise is crucial as you age and I train in such a way with my weights that I also get a cardio workout. I have also created a shortcut to recording your workouts, which is necessary to follow your progress. My book educates the reader on nutrition, motivation, strength training techniques, saving time, raising your metabolism, injury prevention and cardiovascular training to name a few.

Although my audience is geared towards babyboomers, it is not limited to them. For example my doctor, who is 34 years old, was becoming increasing frustrated with the exercise programs he had tried. He wanted to increase his muscle size. Recently he tried a very popular training program. Although he did lose weight and gained a lot of endurance, he gained no muscle mass. I gave him a few pages of my book and explained to him how I train. Within two months he saw results.

Getting Fit at Fifty and Beyond will teach you how to turn your life around and stay self sufficient. You will inevitably sleep better, manage your weight, have more energy, lower your blood pressure, improve circulation, reduce stress and fight depression.

When your surfing channels trying to find something interesting to watch, you can often find programs showing you how to get in shape. They’ll tell you how to lose weight and have that body you’ve always wanted. If the out of shape people could safely take a pill to transform their bodies overnight they would do it. Unfortunately there is no such pill, and they don’t want to put forth the effort because that’s exactly what it takes; effort. People say they’re too tired to exercise. I worked all day and I just want to relax. I don’t have the energy. What they don’t realize is you create more energy when you use energy.

CHAPTER 1

GETTING FIT

AT FIFTY . . . AND BEYOND

GETTING STARTED

When you first start getting back into weightlifting, you’ll need to start slowly. Use light weights and just go through the movements, using proper form. The more out of shape you are, the longer you should give your body to get used to exercising, whether it be weeks or possibly