I had the pleasure today of conducting a fitness test on a client of mine, aged 71. Two months ago I carried out a body composition check on this guy and he was quite unsettled by the results. He had been coming to the gym for years and plodded his way through a regular cardio routine plus a few floor exercises for the core. That was all he ever did and he reckoned that, because he’d been able to perform this routine regularly for years despite getting older he was doing alright. His nutrition, although it contained some good nutrients, was full of regular sweet treats.
His body check shocked him. Despite all his efforts, his body fat percentage was very high and, especially worrying, so too was his visceral fat level. He couldn’t understand it because he thought he was doing everything he was supposed to – plenty of low level cardio, a ‘sensible’ diet etc. etc. , yet he was clearly getting fatter and this worried him and his concerned wife.
Does this story sound familiar? It is the story of many a gym goer, probably the majority. So what did we do? He recorded his food diary and we made some adjustments, particularly focusing on reducing the sugar content and increasing his vegetable consumption. He started eating grapefruit before every meal (this was his own idea, not mine). Alongside this, we introduced a progressive gym routine which included interval training on the cardio machines, bodyweight circuit training and some resistance training with weights.
Two months later, his results were remarkable. Don’t forget this guy is 71 years old and at that age when most people are putting on their slippers and settling down in front of the TV. Here are his results:
Weight loss 3kgs
Body fat loss 4.2%
Visceral fat level down from 15 to 13.
Bone density, muscle mass, BMR all improved significantly.
Waist lost 3.5 cms
Hips lost 3 cms.
Aerobic fitness improved by around 15%
Upper body strength and muscular endurance improved by around 250%
Core strength improved by around 60%
Lower body muscular endurance improved by around 25%
So, you think you’re too old to change your life? This guy’s not buying it and neither am I! It’s all about motivation and he knows it. If you put limits on yourself and start believing you’re growing old and there’s nothing you can do, you will grow old and infirm, sooner than you think. But if you’re prepared to put in the effort, whatever your age or condition, and you stick with it, you will get the results you want. I’m now putting together a new programme for him which will take him to the next level with a fresh set of targets for him to hit and then another and another….
Start your journey to health and fitness now by requesting a free body composition check, whatever your age.
Call David on 07504439555 or email me at davidperry57@sky.com.
ultrafit50plus 