Turning 50!

[Travis Shakespeare]

I'm turning 50 in a couple weeks and am considering this program. I've done the Fundamentals program and much of it is in line with my regular movement regimen. I've practiced yoga for many years and can still kick up to a handstand in the middle of the room, but have never done a press handstand. I'm looking for a way to increase strength & mobility as I get older, and also lose the weight I've started to put on the past couple years as my desk job isn't helping much to keep me strong! What are your recommendations in considering this? Is Fundamentals One enough? And I'm also wondering if the nutrition program is appropriate for a man of my age as well. Thanks!

[Pauline Taube]

Hi Travis,

Thank you for reaching out.

Foundation One is a great course to continue with in order to increase your strength and mobility. If you want to improve your Handstand or work towards the press Handstand you may do the Handstand courses along with your Foundation workouts.

The Thrive course is appropriate for all age groups and it's a great course for everyone wanting to improve their eating habits. In order to improve your body composition nutrition is eaqually important than your training  

Please let us know if you have any further questions. 

[Mark Birbeck]

@Travis Shakespeare

I wish you young people would stop worrying...I'm 53 this year, and since starting GST about a year ago not a day has gone by when I don't wish I'd started when I was as young as you.

But seriously, in many ways, people like you and I could well be in the best place for something like GST. We've probably got more control of our time than younger people (I work from home a couple of days a week), our kids get themselves to the toilet now--and sometimes even cook dinner--and rather bizarrely, there doesn't seem to be any practical limit on what we can do physically.

I find this latter point quite intriguing, and I'm sure there's a ton of research out there on exercise for 'older people'. Certainly, for me, every time I used to think 'surely this is where I reach my limit', I find a few weeks later that I've gone through it. So now I just don't bother thinking about it.

So to add a personal note to Pauline's recommendations:

* I would definitely second the recommendation of following Thrive--it's packed with really useful information on nutrition and sleep (which is probably increasingly important when training at our age...I was terrible for only getting 5-6 hours). It's not really a weight-loss program though, although it will certainly help you with that; as Pauline says it's much more about ensuring that you're in a good place to get the best out of your training;

* I'd also second the idea of just kicking on with the Foundation series, rather than staying with Fundamentals;

* and I'd add that it's probably worth doing as many stretch courses as you can fit in/afford. I think this is probably true of anyone following GST, but I suspect that for us older characters it might be even more important. I think you'll probably find that strength improvements will come reasonably quickly, once you get started, in the sense that they will be quite noticeable. But what will then probably happen is that as you progress you'll start to get frustrated with your mobility, so you might as well address that from the beginning. (And the courses are designed for this...they fit together perfectly.)

And lastly, I'd start as soon as you can! You don't want to get to my age and look back and regret not starting earlier.

(Ok...I think I might have exhausted that joke...)

Good luck!

[Suzanna McGee]

@Travis Shakespeare, I think the age should not be our limitation when doing things and improving ourselves. (I'll be 52 in a few months, started the GST on my 51 year's birthday last August). If you think about it, you are just half way trough your life. The best part is coming now, because you know what you want and you appreciate life…  The only difference between us and the young ones is that we have collected some of the bad things (like imbalances, tightness, bad habits) for a little bit longer than the young ones, but that's it. We can still stop it and reverse it. It may take longer, but who is in a hurry?  (ha ha, this is a joke, I was so in a hurry to get strong really fast when I started the GST, but I have now surrendered and going with a flow  :-) ) 

I found GST because I wanted to learn a handstand for my new hobby, pole. After only a few weeks, I realized what a gem this whole program is, and I bought all Foundations and all Stretches. I highly recommend them!  I don't do Thrive as I have a super healthy diet already, but it could be good for you if you need to change your nutritional habits. Also, I don't have the Movement, because I fear for life everything upside down, but I suspect that when I get more comfortable with the handstands, I may add that one too. 

Enjoy the journey, it will only get better!  

 

[Travis Shakespeare]

Thanks everyone! It's great to see there are other folks in the second half of life doing GST. I look forward to seeing my results and yours!

 

[Jon Douglas]

@Mats Trane might give you some tips too....

I am a relative early bird getting onto GST at 26, but this is still far and away later than most start gymnastics training  I am so pleased with how I perform feel and yes look that I have no desire to train differently

 

[Connie Martinez]

It is one is a course to continue with in order to increase your strength

[John Kiggundu]

@Travis Shakespeare your connective tissue and muscle fibers do not know that you're approaching 50 yrs of age, because they keep regenerating themselves every .......... (Coach can fill in the blanks here) so often, and as far as GST is concerned that's the bottom line.

Prior to enrolling into GST, I was really unconsciously ignorant of mobility and the impact that it has on our general wellbeing. Just the awareness of and the improvement that you'll get in your shoulder mobility alone is worth the price of enrolling in this program.

Welcome aboard.

[Kate Abernethy]

I totally recommend the Foundations, Movement, Handstands, and Stretch series. I would go even further and suggest you get out of a desk-based job if you can. Good luck! I'll be 50 a few weeks after you and have been doing Foundations for coming up to 4 years now.

[Jonas Berglund]

10 hours ago, John Kiggundu said:

@Travis Shakespeare your connective tissue and muscle fibers do not know that you're approaching 50 yrs of age, because they keep regenerating themselves every .......... (Coach can fill in the blanks here) so often, and as far as GST is concerned that's the bottom line.

Prior to enrolling into GST, I was really unconsciously ignorant of mobility and the impact that it has on our general wellbeing. Just the awareness of and the improvement that you'll get in your shoulder mobility alone is worth the price of enrolling in this program.

Welcome aboard.

John, I like the way you vision the connective tissue,, ill do the same from here on. 

One question, is there something called "connective tissue memory"? Just like "muscle memory" is it an advantage having mastered the splits at 18 years Old, 15 years later? Despite being tighter than a caveman at 32?

[Mats Trane]

On 2017-05-19 at 5:57 AM, Travis Shakespeare said:

I'm turning 50 in a couple weeks and am considering this program. I've done the Fundamentals program and much of it is in line with my regular movement regimen. I've practiced yoga for many years and can still kick up to a handstand in the middle of the room, but have never done a press handstand. I'm looking for a way to increase strength & mobility as I get older, and also lose the weight I've started to put on the past couple years as my desk job isn't helping much to keep me strong! What are your recommendations in considering this? Is Fundamentals One enough? And I'm also wondering if the nutrition program is appropriate for a man of my age as well. Thanks!

I started when I was around 47 ( turning 54 this summer) and I tell you this program and community has given me a new life!! My background was snow skiing, water skiing and skateboarding. If you have a yoga background you'll love this! One of the advantages with this trading is that you don't need much, basically a floor, a wall will get you far. This is one of the main reasons I got into this. I was/am living a busy life with family and a part ownership in a business so time is limited. This way I can do a lot of the stuff at home not wasting time, packing a bag, drive to the gym, find a parking spot etc etc.

[Luke Searra]

Matts, not only are you a BEAST, but you're a. Inspiration !!!

[Laurie Donaldson]

I am 58 and started in March after a few years of weightlifting, which made me strong but not flexible. As Coach says, "made of stone." I am moving slowly through Foundation 1 and I have all of the Stretch Series, each of which is unique and helpful. Even in two months, I have noticed a huge increase for me in mobility. I hope to add Handstand in the summer (though I have never even done one handstand in my life, so that will be an adventure).  I am a certified Primal Coach through Mark Sisson's program and I have to say I wish this was part of the program - it is so crucial. I do wish I had started it somewhere around age 14. The best part of this program is that I am never bored and it is doable without taking 2 hours of time every day. 

 

[John Kiggundu]

17 hours ago, Jonas Berglund said:

John, I like the way you vision the connective tissue,, ill do the same from here on. 

One question, is there something called "connective tissue memory"? Just like "muscle memory" is it an advantage having mastered the splits at 18 years Old, 15 years later? Despite being tighter than a caveman at 32?

Not sure I'm able to answer this one. More qualified people can chime in.

[Mats Trane]

13 hours ago, Luke Searra said:

Matts, not only are you a BEAST, but you're a. Inspiration !!!

Thanks Luke! Means a lot to me!