long term lifitng program for 60 year old

Training Q&A [Moderated]
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1

Listened to your podcast on sarcopenia and was wondering if you could recommend a program for the next 20 Years, I am 59 and have been lifting regularly again for the last 4 years. Current program

  1. squats, rows 30 min cardio
  2. bench, pull ups 30 min cardio
  3. Dead lift, rows, 30 Min cardio
  4. overhead press, pull ups, 30 min cardio

I am a creature of habit and lift in my home gym.

thanks,

Paul

2

Hey Paul,

Thanks for the post and the kind words. We appreciate it :slight_smile:

As far as a program you can do for the next 20 years, I don’t think that’s something I (or anyone) can really do with any degree of certainty. I suppose I could give you an outline of general heuristics, which would look like:

  • Do exercises to hit all the major muscle groups of the body a few times per week
  • ~ 8 to 15 sets per week of squat, press, pull, and hinge pattern movements is reasonable, though individuals vary about volume needs
  • Vary your exercises regularly
  • Most of your sets should feel like you could do 2-4 more reps, so not maximal.
  • Do 2.5 hours per week of conditioning at a pace just above where you can still have a normal conversation. More conditioning is a good idea for most.

As your fitness changes, you’ll need to adjust the amount (dose) and type (formulation) of your training. For now, I think you might like one of our templates, or would benefit from speaking with one of our coaches to get you sorted for 2026.

Cheers!

-Jordan

1 Like
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When talking about “pressing” volume, do you ensure you hit a certain amount of chest press vs shoulder press (horizontal/vertical)?

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Not really, no. I don’t think the “ratio” of vertical to horizontal pressing is important outside of specific performance goals. If someone wanted to bring up their bench press for example, I would not do a ton of vertical pressing. Just to make sure there’s no confusion, that doesn’t mean zero overhead work…just not a lot of it.