As you age, it can seem more and more difficult to shed extra pounds. Living a primarily sedentary lifestyle, poor eating habits, and changes in your metabolism may be the main culprits behind weight gain as you age, according to health line. Time is a precious thing, so knowing what you should and shouldn’t focus on is key to reaching your ultimate goal. That’s why we’ve rounded up the exercises to skip for weight loss after 50 so you don’t waste time.
Losing weight after 50 means developing the right fitness and eating habits and sticking with them. To achieve the results you want, you’ll need to get rid of foods with added sugars, add strength training to your exercise regimen, enjoy healthy home-cooked meals, increase the amount of protein you eat, and maintain a whole-food-based diet (through of health line).
if you are looking for lose weightafter strength training It should be the main focus of your workouts. Why? Well, this form of exercise helps build muscle, increase your metabolismY burn more calories than if you were to perform regular cardio. Strength training is especially important for people age 50 and older, because you start to lose muscle mass as you age, and it’s imperative that you do everything you can to build and maintain it. I recommend strength training at least three times a week, focusing primarily on compound movements.
However, there are certain exercises that I recommend not wasting your time on. The following movements are not as effective as the others or may be harder on the joints. Read on to learn more.
The first of the exercises you should skip for weight loss after 50 is the side bend. This popular exercise is used to target your lateral core, or your “rims” area. Remember: the main function of the core is to change the force between the upper body and the lower body and keep your trunk stablethat this exercise does not achieve.
Also, when it comes to heavy abdominal movements, you should limit the amount you’re doing in workouts, as they can cause hypertrophy, making your core appear “thicker.” If you want skinnier obliques, I would avoid weighted side bends and focus on side plank variations or cuts.
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Ah, classic abs. Many people automatically gravitate toward ab exercises like sit-ups and sit-ups, because they believe these moves will get the job done quickly and efficiently. Well, think again.
Some people have a forward head and a stooped posture; this is more pronounced among people age 50 and older. You might be surprised to hear this, but performing crunches can make it even worse. Too many gym-goers perform crunches by twisting their necks and using their hip flexors instead of their crunches, so it’s a move that, simply put, is best avoided.
Related: Trainer reveals 5 exercise habits to slow muscle aging
Although box jumps can be a great exercise for building power, this comes with a caveat: you need strength, stability, and coordination to perform the move correctly. If you haven’t been active for a long time or haven’t done athletic plyometric movements before, you can increase your risk of injury. Plyometrics can potentially be high-intensity and high-impact, which could wreak havoc on your joint health, according to health training. This is especially true if you don’t have much strength or muscle mass.
Instead of jumping straight in, it’s best to focus on learning how to squat properly and building lower-body strength before thinking about box jumping.
The barbell bench press is one of the most popular upper body pressing exercises, and for good reason. Unfortunately, it’s not the best move to do if you have shoulder issues; Grabbing a heavy barbell to work these muscles on a regular basis could damage your shoulder joints.
If you’re 50 or older and have pain in your shoulder joints, specifically while doing this move, I recommend using dumbbells instead or opting for variations of push-ups. Prevention is much better than cure!
Tim Liu, CSCS
Tim Liu, CSCS, is an online fitness and nutrition coach based in Los Angeles. Read more about Tim
