HIIT Cardio and Resistance Training for Men over 50

It’s fair to say that men 50 and over value fitness from a completely unique perspective than men half their age. It may very well be that exercise becomes more about conditioning and medical concerns than straight forward strength training and high-impact athleticism. And not to forget we often miss our workout session because our schedules are simply too busy. Where to find a balance of a time-efficient and convenient way to exercise that addresses out fitness goals? Right here with our piece on – HIIT Cardio and Resistance Training for Men 50 and Over.

You may hear the term HIRT (High Intensity Resistance Training) and we will do a separate piece on HIRT, but for now we are focusing on just combining HIIT and resistance training and the benefits of that program. Before we get into it, let’s first clarify what each is.

What is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)?

In short, HIIT is a time-efficient exercise method in which you alternate between high-intensity exercises and short periods of low-intensity exercises or rest. During the high-intensity exercises, aim to exert your maximum effort to challenge your body truly. You can include 4 to 8 exercises for 20-45 seconds each, with 10-30 seconds rest in between. Check out our blog on HIIT for more information.

What is Resistance Training?

Resistance training or strength training refers to any physical activity aiming to improve muscle strength, muscle mass, and endurance. Workouts (in general) include weights such as resistance bands, dumbbells, barbells, and weight machines, to apply resistance against specific movements to challenge targeted muscles. We’ve provided some ideas of using Resistance Bands for Home Workouts in another blog.

Why should men over 50 combine these two exercise methods?

Recent years have taught us that HIIT workouts are extremely beneficial for our heart health, endurance and burn fat much faster than regular long-haul cardio sessions. But what happens when we combine resistance training with HIIT workouts? Experts believe that by combining them, you maximize HIIT workouts’ benefits while also strengthening muscles and maintaining muscle mass.

3 other benefits include:

Time-efficient

Since you perform HIIT workouts intensely for short periods, plus combining it with resistance exercise, the combination will improve muscle and cardiovascular fitness in half of the time than regular resistance training. Daniel Green, Contributing Editor at ACE Fitness and his team worked with Western State Colorado University and published a very detailed study on the programs effectiveness, which we’ve included here. (It’s definitely worth the read!)

Improved heart health

In the same ACE Fitness study, research showed that combining HIIT with resistance training reduces blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol more effectively than performing these exercise methods separately. By lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, you also improve your heart health as these factors significantly affect your heart health.

Burn more calories

The American Council on Exercise suggests that resistance training with HIIT has the highest impact on EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption); EPOC is the oxygen and energy needed to get the body back to its resting state after exercise by replenishing energy stores, hormones, and repair damaged tissues.

These 3 benefits are especially favorable for men over 50, as they typically have condensed schedules and their heart health and metabolism decline with age. But how should you get started?

3 Tips to get started

1.   Safety first

Because HIIT workouts are more intense, combining it with resistance training requires even more power and strength, increasing your risk of injury. Remember, it’s crucial to warm up and prepare your muscles before and after every workout. Focus on your form to use your body’s mechanics correctly and prevent unnecessary strain and pressure on joints and structures.

Another way to ensure you’re safe is by starting with lighter weights and gradually progress to heavier ones as you become stronger. Resistance bands can be especially useful in these types of workouts as there are various resistance levels and it’s easy to master when starting.

2.   Don’t do it every day

Even though HIIT and resistance training is extremely effective, you shouldn’t do it every single day. These workout sessions typically work your body at 80-95% of your max exertion. This can overstrain your body, resulting in weakening your immune system and muscles unable to recover and repair. Instead, allow your body to recover by doing other types of workouts every other day, such as low-impact walking, yoga or Pilates.

3.   Switch it up

To continue progressing and experiencing the benefits of any program, it’s essential to switch it up every month or when exercises become less exertive or mundane. Your body adjusts, acclimates, and becomes stronger the more you workout and needs change to operate at peak performance. Try slight modifications to your routine, such as:

• Increasing the duration of a workout if feasible.
• Changing the type of exercises you do frequently.
• Adding to your weights or increasing resistance bands levels.
• Try to increase your intervals slightly, like 40 seconds instead of 30 seconds.

LOW IMPACT & HIIT

While we’re talking about combining HIIT and resistance training, now would be a good time to reiterate that HIIT is high intensity, but not necessarily high impact. In fact, low-impact training combined with HIIT is perfect for people who need to be careful of and cognizant of stress on your joint strength.

Low impact HIIT is a fantastic way to rev up your cardio and selectively use resistance bands, free weights or just your body weight to achieve an overall body workout. There are countless programs designed to give you maximum success for this type of program, simply Google or YouTube the search term. You can also read up on our blog on Low Impact training here.

Final Thoughts on HIIT Cardio and Resistance Training for Men 50 and Over.

Combining HIIT and resistance training is not only better for your health, but it’s also more time-efficient making it ideal for people with busy schedules. As always, consult your doctor before undertaking any new exercise program and put your safety first, give your body rest, and change it up.

We hope the information in our piece – HIIT Cardio and Resistance Training for Men 50 and Over, can help you with an informed decision on your workout regimens. If you want to continue further reading on home-based exercises that promote low impact lifestyles, check out our blogs on  resistance band training and other cardio exercises.

As always, if you need something you can’t find here, reach out to us through the Contact page or leave a comment below. Please use our approved affiliate links to explore the options available to you, we appreciate you support!

Eugenie Lamprecht is a Physical Therapist and Pilates Instructor with a great passion for helping others live a healthy and holistic life. She has clinical experience working in various areas of healthcare, such as intensive care units, as well as orthopedic, neurological, and sports facilities.

When she’s not seeing clients, she’s a freelance writer for health & wellness websites and brands. You can see more of her work at https://santoshasisters.com/ and her portfolio at https://eugenie.contently.com/.