Senior program
 

Which is better/best for a senior male,to loose/maintain weight & general fitness.

Free weight heavy? Free wight light?..pure aerobic?

Or a Total Gym type equipment program.

Im 62, 6'1" 280 and have a decent gym at home,..weights,..rower,..bike.

But I quit smoking 11 years ago, & have battled weight ever since..220,now 280. My old lifting routines just are not working. And yes i do eat a proper diet, low fat, mostly fish,veggies..poultry...very little red meat,almost no sweets,...alcohol...glass & half-two glass red wine..at the most.

Any advise appreciated.

In my opinion, and I'm no expert (52 years old), the best way to lose weight at an older age it to jump start your metabolism to lose weight. So cardio. Walking to start, then walking/jogging, eventually jogging-running. OR spinning/bicycling is excellent as well. Once you get your cardio going, and you've increased your general health and lost most or all of the weight, then you can start lifting again for strength and muscle build up so the fat doesn't return. This has been my plan and it's worked so far. Next I plan on getting into weights again soon.

It's really difficult to be losing weight and building muscle at the same time.

One thing to be aware of at your age is not only maintaining muscle mass but also bone density.

Lift heavy, concentrate on compound exercises (bench press, squat, barbell row, etc.) and at least some of your aerobic work needs to be weight bearing. Until some of the weight is off, stick to walking.
Check out ExRx for exercises.

Hello
 

Thanks for your work i mean you trying to keep your body fit.Now i am, working on elderly exercise.If you want to know more and if you have anything to share we can discuss here.

thanks
Joseph Rettig

working out in your fifties and sixties.
 

You are definitely heading in the right direction. I would recommend using diet as 80% of your plan to lose weight, with workouts comprising 20%. My suggestion would be to eat 10 calories per ten pounds pounds of your goal weight (If you want to weigh 200 pounds, average of about 2000 calories a day). I would also suggest as you chart on fitday, you watch your total carbs a day and stay in between 50 and 100 grams of carbs a day. Lean protein, fresh vegetables, a little fruit eaten early in the day should be the foundation of your diet. If you absolutely must have bread, try sprouted grain bread and no more than an average of one slice a day.
When it comes to working out, do multi-joint type exercises and do them with some intensity for 20 minutes, three times a week. Walk 3-4 days a week as well until you start to feel that your conditioning has improved.
Once your body starts to feel like is coming around, I would encourage you to research "metabolic workouts" and implement them 2-3 times a week.
I am 55 years old and am in the best shape of my life. I have always been a workout guy but I am finally starting to figure it out!

I had a similar issue a few years ago when I stumbled upon a book by Bill Phillips "Body for Life" at a local book store. Was a little skeptical until I saw an "old guy" before and after pictures. Can get it used on Amazon for $0.01. At the time I was 60, 6'3" and 230. Now 65 and 195, much stronger, still 6'3" and feel great!