What is the best exercise for a man over 50?
That’s a question I repeatedly asked, having been obese and overweight myself for many decades throughout my adult life.
No matter what type of exercise I tried, whether swimming, the stationary bike, treadmill, machine weights, or lifting dumbbells in the gym, nothing changed how I felt or looked.
Even coloring my hair from gray to black did not help my substantial double chin when I hit my late 40s.
And by the time I was 55, I had resigned myself to wearing extra-large clothing because of my 50-inch waist.
One day, I stumbled upon an exercise that I could do, which changed my body and life.
While you might think that you will never get your overweight under control, rest assured you can.
Your results will not happen overnight, but if you dedicate a nominal amount of time and follow a system, you will achieve your fitness goals, regardless of your age or weight.
So what is that exercise?
The not-so-obvious deadlift.
Deadlifts?
While you might not ever think of doing deadlifts, neither did I!
Deadlifting is the last type of exercise I ever imagined trying in a gym.
When I went to the gym during my overweight and obese days, I did the treadmill and used weight machines.
Venturing into the free-weight area is something I shied away from because I thought that only bodybuilders, powerlifters, or athletes could benefit from deadlifts.
I do not recommend squats when you start exercising because of knee stress and the mobility required.
I found that out the hard way.
When I first tried squats at 55, I couldn’t walk for a week afterward!
However, the deadlift is a different story. I immediately felt the difference from the first time I ever tried deadlifts.
I didn’t have the mobility to do squats, but I could deadlift with lighter weights.
The big plus is that deadlifts work all the major muscle groups of your body, so you gain the maximum benefit possible from a deadlift workout.
As a result, deadlifts build a sheath of armor around your entire body, from your shoulders and arms to your abs, back, and legs.
I spent years walking the treadmill or elliptical and doing dumbbell shoulder presses and curls, but nothing changed my body like deadlifting.
After six months of consistent deadlifting and eating clean using the Hashi Mashi plan, I was down 75lbs.
Of course, any exercise you start doing will help you get more conditioned, but few activities can impact your body and mind, like deadlifting.
The article: 7 Deadlift Muscles Worked That Will Change Your Body & Life reveals:
- the muscles used by conventional and other popular deadlift variations,
- a step-by-step tutorial on how to deadlift correctly,
- the most common mistakes to avoid, and
- helpful tools for deadlifting at home
Then, you will understand why only one exercise can make more of a difference for your mental and physical fitness than any other.
Full article appears here on Hashimashi.com.
