Pumping Iron At 80 Is Not The Same As Pumping Iron At 20

But it’s still pumping iron.

I started writing about my decision to return to weight training approximately one month ago, and it’s time to give you another update.

Why? Not because I think the world is waiting to hear that I’m lifting three pounds more this week than last week. But because accountability keeps me honest. Also, I have an insight that I hope will be helpful for anybody on the fence about working out.

If you don’t know who I am, I wouldn’t be surprised. I’m an 80-year-old writer who titled one post, When Do You Get Old? The Day You Skip The Gym.

The article resonated with my most views and top earnings so far, but while I walked a lot when I wrote it, I wasn’t the gym rat that I am now. That came after I wrote about taking up weights after a long hiatus.

And now I have some field notes for you. I wrote an update after the first week or so, but now I can tell the difference in the way I feel pre-and post lifting. The nights after I began my sets at the gym, I’d wake in pain. Every moving part would hurt, even though I lifted baby weights. I’ve had enough personal trainers over the years that I know enough not to hurt myself or get over-zealous starting over. So that wasn’t it.

In the seven or eight years since I’d last done any serious weight training, my body had gotten old. Seriously old. Each year I contend with muscle loss, cellular degeneration, and battles with gravity.

Castigating myself for letting myself go didn’t help, so I just pushed forward. My first workout included 5 minutes on the stationary bike and 15 minutes on the weight machines with light weights.

I now do a minimum of 20 minutes on the bike to warm up, a routine on the TRX straps, and a rotation of many weight machines. The poundage has increased, and I’ve had no injuries and only minor discomfort afterward at home.

But I will tell you, I’m not pumping the iron I did when I first fell in love with weights in my fifties. I could leg press 100 pounds back then. Now, I can’t even bend my knees to get on the bench without risking a knee replacement, and that’s no joke. So that’s one of the routines I’ve had to scratch from my list.

But here’s the thing. I have arthritis in many of my joints. I can’t lift some weights if I forget to bring my hand splints because of pain. Forget leg presses. I have to go easy on the rower because I can feel it pull my back. Etc., etc., etc.

Yet, today, a month after lifting what I can, and increasing the weights and reps judiciously, I feel better than I have in a long while. I rarely need one of the “old people” naps in the middle of the day. I carry my two bags of groceries home from Trader Joe’s without stopping halfway for a break.

I can clean my apartment in one fell swoop like the old days. Well, almost. Before the workouts, I’d break it up because of fatigue.

Maybe I can’t lift my weight over my head. But I don’t need to. I can climb the four stories to my apartment when the elevator is stalled without thinking I need the paramedics. My balance is still wonky, but that’s because of my little stroke. And now, thanks to some new PT regimens, I’m working on that.

When I stand at the machines and prepare for my routine, the guys next to me have muscles on top of their muscles. The women are so toned they look sculpted by Michaelangelo. I look like someone should ask me if my doctor knows I’m here. But it doesn’t matter that I’m doing the easiest routine at the gym. I’m doing what I can and feeling so much better for it.

And, hey. Yesterday, I saw this twenty-something slouched on a deltoid machine pushing the lightest weight on the machine while she talked on her phone. What was that all about? I could do that while I tied my orthopedic shoes. So maybe I’m not an 80-year-old weakling anymore.

I know I’m serious, I’m dedicated, and as long as I fold my cane before I open the door so the manager doesn’t ask me for a note from my doctor, I’m going to get to a point where I’m ready for a senior weight competition. At least to hold somebody’s beer.

I’m an editor and writer on Medium with Top Writer status. I’m also an editor for the publication, Rogues Gallery. I’ve published 55 titles on Amazon and edit for private clients. If you’d like to hire me as your editor for fiction, non-fiction, or business writing, please contact me here. If you’d like to read more of my work on Medium, click here to sign up for my newsletter. I’ll make sure you don’t miss a word. Thank you for reading.