If you are over 50, there are some realities you need to accept as you go forward in life…
First, if you have done no strength training past the age of 40, you have lost muscle mass and strength.
The process is known as sarcopenia, and for most people, it begins sometime between the ages of 35 and 45.
Once that process starts, you will lose between 3% and 5% of your muscle mass over the next decade, and the rate will slowly begin to accelerate.
Second, it is possible that you will lose bone density through osteoporosis. This is particularly true of women who have reached menopause.
And lastly, your joints will become stiff due to loss cartilage, shortening of tendons and ligaments and the loss of fluids that help our joints work smoothly.
There is not much you can do about the last issue.
However, you CAN actually get significantly stronger past the age of 50 if you have done limited strength training in the past, or you are not an experienced lifter.
Through strength training, you can build muscle and reverse the process of sarcopenia.
Strength training will also help strengthen your bones.
While strength training will not do much to offset that joint stiffness that comes with aging, the extra muscle around the joints that you will develop will allow you to stay mobile.
You can also combine your strength training with yoga or pilates to help offset some of the joint stiffness as well.
As a golfer over 50, you have probably already experienced a loss of distance off the tee, and it is likely your swing is a bit shorter.
Unless you consistently train for flexibility, the shorter golf swing is unavoidable.
However, you can maintain much of your swing speed longer than you think is possible by increasing your strength.
To learn more about strength training in general, head on over to the Start Here page where I discuss the best exercises for building strength and other topics.
Now, get to work!
