Weight Training offers more than just good looks

A new study confirms the unique health benefits of weight training for middle aged women (and there is no reason to believe this could be different for men).
source: Time Magazine

Starting An Exercise Routine After 40

I hope it is clear by now that this blog primarily addresses those middle agers who are interested in getting or staying fit.
To those of you who have not yet decided to jump in yet I'd like to give some important information before you start hitting the weights or the track.

Like it or not, in spite of all the recent breakthroughs in medicine, aging is still a universal phenomenon affecting each and every one of us (even cosmetic surgery clients).
Usual guidelines for screening those who want to take up an exercise routine in middle age are as follows: if you are 45 or older for a man or 55 or older for a woman, you should always consult a physician for a detailed checkup before starting any exercise routine.
Even if you are younger you should always consult a physician before starting an exercise routine if you present with any kind of cardiovascular condition (including hypertension, heart problems, stroke, high cholesterol etc), respiratory problems (including asthma), bone, joint or muscles ailment, if you are obese or have diabetes.

Note that this list is not exhaustive and that any of the above conditions need not have been diagnosed: like millions of Americans, you may have diabetes without knowing it or a heart condition unbeknownst to you. As the saying goes: better safe than sorry. Better consult a physician than shun a consultation and collapse with a heart attack.

The midlife crisis workout trap

An article in the NYT a few years ago caught my attention as I was pondering the fact that my 1-rep  bench press max had slightly decreased from my all-time record of 235 lbs (for a 165 lbs body weight) down to 225 lbs. I was 43 at the time. As I could not find any obvious explanation I started analyzing all plausible hypotheses.

After carefully considering the 3 feet of the fitness tripod, I came to an unexpected and somewhat unsettling conclusion:there was nothing wrong: I was eating right and getting enough sleep. Moreover my exercise technique had probably further improved compared to 5 years earlier when I could bench-press my record 235 lbs. 
The only explanation left was that I was 5 years older.

ACKNOWLEDGING ONE'S LIMITS
I must confess that it took me a while to recognize this very basic truth: as we age, even if we exercise on a very regular basis as I do, peak performance imperceptibly drops. This should sound like a common place not worth mentioning to most baby boomers: we are not as strong or fast as in our 20's or 30's. Yet for a surprisingly large number of mature athletes, particularly in their 40's and 50's, the fact that their physical abilities are bound to decline with age no matter how hard they train is a kind of taboo, or at least something they vehemently deny, no matter what the scientific evidence suggests.

The 5 commandments of a healthy diet or how to avoid the midlife spread

It is an open secret that as we age we become more prone to storing fat and gaining weight than when we were in our 20's.
This may be partly due to a lower Resting Metabolic Rate (the number of calories our body needs to maintain itself at rest) as well as a decreased level of physical activity as a result of a more sedentary lifestyle.

The midlife spread is therefore considered by most baby boomers almost as unavoidable as far-sightedness . This is a wrong belief. There are very simple rules that if adhered to consistently can keep you as svelte as in your 20's.

Healthful eating habits are thus especially important for middle aged individuals. So much has been written on the subject that any attempt at exhaustively describing the ideal diet would be redundant and probably futile. So my ambition here will be to simply list what my experience has taught me are the 5 most important principles that should be observed in order to achieve both

The untold benefits of lifting weight off the ground: how deadlifts (and a bit of stretching) have changed my life

This post may come as a semi-surprise to those of you who have followed my blog for several years. In a post dated 2010, I insisted that squats and deadlifts should be eliminated from your routine if you are over 40 because the benefits of these two exercises, whereas very real, were more than outweighed by potential risks, including catastrophic injuries to your spine. 
My opinion on squats has not changed since. Betting on being able to keep perfect form every single time, especially without the assistance of a fellow athlete, is a dangerous proposition. You may have performed the same squat routine 100's of times before but one fateful day, because you happen to be more tired or less concentrated than usual, the same 200 lbs may suddenly be too much to handle and, if no attendant is present, you will have to compensate by using improper form to get back up. This single incident may be enough to inflict a serious injury with catastrophic long-term consequences.

However, after two years of practicing deadlifts with a barbell once a week, I have come to the conclusion that DLs are a completely different animal than squats. For one thing,: if you have overestimated your strength of the day while deadlifting, all you have to do is drop the bar to the ground, no matter what position in the movement you are in. The worst that could happen then is a loud thud on the gym floor and the ensuing disapproving looks from disgruntled onlookers. That's why I would recommend performing deadlifts on an relatively soft floor, which should be no problem at most gyms. 

Now for the incredible benefits of deadlifting: in my over 25 years working out at least 4 

Six Pack abs: the #1 myth on the fitness grapevine

 If I had to pick the most egregious misconception in fitness, the Six Pack abs myth would be a serious contender.

The assertion invariably goes something like this: you can't get Six Pack abs because
either you don't exercise your abs properly/enough or what you need is a miracle "ripping" supplement

THE MIRACLE PILL RIP OFF
I will address the second part of this dubious alternative first because the answer is short : there may be supplements that may help you get ripped (but not specifically in the midsection) but, if they do work, then, they are either illegal (remember the phen fen scandal 15 years ago http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fen-phen) or,  even if they are still on the market, they are hazardous to your health.

All these supplements act in pretty much the same way, by artificially increasing