| If you were physically active in your youth, it will be | | | | mainly from lack of nutrients. The more you train, the |
| easier to start bodybuilding in midlife. Bodybuilders | | | | more widespread the capillary development, and the |
| who may have stopped training for 10 years, return | | | | better the circulation and transport of nutrients. A |
| to it and recover their former condition, often within | | | | good blood supply dissipates injuries faster as well. |
| 6 months. Your body has a memory. You never | | | | When your muscles get sore from training, the best |
| forget how to swim or ride a bicycle. | | | | thing to do is stretching, along with light exercise and |
| Training is analogous to money. Each workout is like a | | | | high reps. For example, if you get sore from a |
| deposit in an interest bearing account. With steady | | | | workout, do your next workout with light weights. |
| training you accumulate a fortune in physical benefits | | | | That will keep the blood flowing to the sore muscles, |
| and appearance. When you stop training, it's like | | | | which helps dissipate the soreness. For persistent |
| transferring your investment to a safe-deposit box. It | | | | pain, see your physician. |
| no longer accrues interest. Nevertheless, it is still | | | | Looking Good at any Age |
| there a decade later. | | | | You must strive to look good regardless of age. The |
| An older person just starting bodybuilding training, | | | | challenge for any bodybuilder is to look good. You |
| interested in competition, should get some kind of | | | | can turn limitations into advantages. Ten years ago I |
| evaluation of his or her possibilities. Your previous | | | | was stricken with diabetes mellitus, and I learned to |
| activities, past injuries, and current condition must be | | | | use the high blood sugar to fuel my workouts. |
| considered in designing your workout. | | | | Although my doctors diagnosed certain death, I was |
| Exercise done in poor form with heavy weights can | | | | determined not only to live, but to improve myself. I |
| cause injury. Shoulders, elbows, neck, back and knees | | | | learned a lot about the healing process and what it |
| are vulnerable areas. Experienced mature bodybuilders | | | | was like to start training from square one again. I |
| tend to reduce their exercise poundages. Perhaps we | | | | became an authority on rehabilitation. |
| could use the same poundages we did 20 years ago, | | | | Training is not one single thing. The combination of |
| but why take the risk when we can maintain and | | | | exercise, nutrition, relaxation, visualization, and |
| improve using lighter, safer poundages? The veteran | | | | attitude followed to the best of your ability is the |
| lives on the interest from his previous training | | | | key to success. Visualization means seeing your body |
| investments. | | | | in your mind the way you want it look. Seeing this |
| The midlife beginner must learn to listen to his body | | | | image on a regular basis establishes a blueprint for |
| and proceed with caution. Make haste slowly. When | | | | your development. What you see, is what you get. |
| things hurt, seek therapy: heat, massage, ultrasound, | | | | It's important to look at the pictures in bodybuilding |
| etc. Warm up with light weights and also stretch | | | | magazines. The pictures show what is possible. |
| after each exercise. If an area hurts after training, | | | | When you get older, don't try to be a superman. |
| apply ice for half an hour. | | | | How much weights you can lift doesn't make a bit of |
| The key to aging and training is improving the blood | | | | difference. It's how it feels to your muscles. Listen to |
| circulation. As you age, body cells do die, perhaps | | | | your body and proceed with caution. |