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Physique After 50: How to Use Resistance Training to Feel Great, Maintain Muscle & Fight the Effects of Aging Paperback – October 12, 2016

by Scott Abel (Author)
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 273 ratings
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Forget settling for the so-called "golden" years. Instead, join the platinum club! Membership is open to anyone, as long as you're willing to take care of your body and your health as you age and as you experience some of the best years of your life. Physique After 50 argues that physique training doesn’t have to end the moment you turn fifty. Aging is an important part of life, and this is the prime of your life. At the same time, as you age there are real physical and hormonal changes going on in your body. Being fifty is not the same as forty, so of course your exercise needs to account for this. Most younger fitness trainers out there just can’t appreciate what these aging-related changes mean for you and your training. Physique After 50 offers real-world, practical training advice from Coach Scott Abel. Scott himself is in his mid-fifties, and has experienced these aging-related changes firsthand, both with himself and with his one-on-one coaching clients. By using smart training strategies (and by leaving your ego at the door) you can look and feel great during what can be some of the most fulfilling decades of your life. You can feel physically younger even as you embrace the wisdom that comes with age. Physique After 50 book tells you how to do exactly that. Physique After 50 includes:
  • How aging affects your fitness and training, and what to do about it.
  • Three different workout programs geared specifically for the "Physique After 50" demographic.
  • You can choose which of the three programs is right for you depending on whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced trainee. (There is also advice on progressing from one program to the next.)
  • Bodypart-specific training “tweaks” to avoid injuries (especially those "overuse" injuries that are often related to age).
  • How to balance rest and recovery with training.
  • “Forget About It” — what forms of training to ignore or simply stop using entirely as you age.
  • What elements of the warmup are more important (and how most people do these things wrong).
  • The hormonal realities of aging (for both men and women), and what that means for you and your training.

Buy Physique After 50 and join the "Platinum club" today!

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  1. Print length
    176 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    October 12, 2016
  4. Dimensions
    5.24 x 0.38 x 7.99 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1539497739
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1539497738
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Now in his mid-fifties, Scott Abel has been involved in the diet, fitness, and bodybuilding industries for over four decades. He has written for or been featured in magazines like Muscle & Fitness, Flex, Muscle Mag, T-Nation, and many more. Scott still helps his one-on-one coaching clients lose fat, gain muscle, and sculpt better bodies, but these days, he is also interested in the older demographic, and the very real changes that a proper coach needs to account for!

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (October 12, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1539497739
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1539497738
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.7 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.24 x 0.38 x 7.99 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 273 ratings

About the author

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Scott Abel

Scott Abel

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I've been involved in the fitness and dieting industry for over 30 years. I've spent most of that time as a coach for those looking to lose weight, add muscle, or get shredded in preparation for a contest or photoshoot.

In recent years I've also focused on the mental aspects of physique transformation and success, and how that ties into the physical and emotional realms. You can find more of my writing at my website at http://scottabelfitness.com/blog

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
273 global ratings
THE training manual I've been waiting for
5 Stars
THE training manual I've been waiting for
The Best Scott Abel book of all time! Prior to this new work my favorite ebook was "Hardgainer Solutuon." This book is very applicable to my lifestyle as I just turned 50 a few weeks ago. What a breath of fresh air! Scott explains the need for rest recovery as well as providing intensity level recommendations. Thank you Scott, for serving up new material "old-timers!"
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Top reviews from the United States

Eric N Roose
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book with lots of practical advice.
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2017
Verified Purchase
Scott Abel has spent a lifetime training himself and others with weights. He understands how the training regime needs to be adjusted as our body ages. As a weight lifter himself in his 50s, he understands how his own body has changed. There are far too many weight training books out there which encourage the over 50 athlete to follow the same lifting regimes and schedules as if they are in their 20s or 30s. The result of following those books is that you have impressive gains until you start to hit your maximums, and then when you attempt to push through, as you can do in your 20s and 30s, and suddenly you find your body simply cannot recover from the heavy lifts within the time schedules recommended, which inevitably results in overtraining and soon in injuries. Torn rotator muscles and damaged tendons are common issues with older lifters, all of which take ages to recover from when you are older. The authors of training books who are in their 30s have not yet lived through the changes to their body as a 50 or 60 year old. Scott has, and provides a program where you can continue to make great advancements without taking on unnecessary risks of injury. I am close to 60 and can say his program works. I have dropped from my own regime some of the classic barbell lifts I used to do, some of which led me to injuries, and replaced them with other lifts, mostly with dumb bells, which can give you great results under his program. For the athlete over 50 this book is highly recommended. And for the gym trainer, his book is also recommended to benefit from his ideas for your older clients.
2 people found this helpful
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Todd I. Stark
4.0 out of 5 stars Great advice on senior training although narrowly focused on physique
Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2023
Verified Purchase
A good brief collection of well-earned experience on what has to change in resistance training as we get older and want to keep training. Well worth the couple of bucks it costs to get the pearls of wisdom it contains if you are a senior and trying to get or stay fit.

The main concern is I don’t think there are enough details in the book itself to actually perform the routines he recommends, so you will have to supplement it from the start with your own research and experimentation to make good use of the advice. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, just be aware that this is nothing like a one-stop source for senior training.

Secondly Scott’s focus is very heavily on muscle tissue adaptations. These are surely important to health in seniors as well as physique and he makes important points about focusing on muscles rather than movements for that purpose, coming from his long experience with bodybuilding.

So my second concern is with that focus on muscle over movement he doesn’t discuss the unique functional strength and balance needs of seniors which often require different kinds of training with different tradeoffs, focusing more on movements than muscles. There are various movement skills, activities, and core and rotational training methods that are extremely valuable to quality of life if not literally life saving to the senior in particular even though they have little impact on physique or overall body composition.

I’ve gotten a great deal from Scott’s depth of experience from his books, including this one, especially regarding what works and what doesn’t in building a more fit body in certain respects. And in this book on particular I learned a lot about training smart to avoid injury.

Just be aware that the title says more than we might assume at first. It is more about smart physique training after 50 in particular than about being a fit senior in general. Also you will probably need to supplement it with other materials to make good use of it.
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speckledfrog
3.0 out of 5 stars Has some significant flaws, but overall good info
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2017
Verified Purchase
As a personal trainer who is 52, there are things I love about this book. But it has some significant flaws you should be aware of. While I love the validation given to over-50 lifters (yes, you have more wear and tear and should train differently), I would've appreciated a more moderate stance on some of his recommendations. This book is a reflection of the author's personal experiences, rather than the broad spectrum of fitness levels and injury histories.

Pros:
- It's realistic. Plyometrics, max lifts, and certain techniques like forced reps are not worth the risk once you've accumulated years of wear and tear.
- Along those same lines, I like how he points out that you can achieve results *without* these risky activities.
- I love the overall message to train muscles, not movements. It's refreshing to hear this message for the over-50 lifter. (However, it's a bit controversial to tell older folks they shouldn't train for function.)

Cons:
- It's not adequately explained WHY the over-50 crowd should use body-part training. He mentions that it helps avoid overtraining, but the explanation is very weak.
- I certainly do NOT agree that you have to give up barbells, pull-ups, core work, cardio, and battling ropes as you age. Unfortunately, I think the author applied his own personal experiences to everyone. Not all of us have beat up our bodies quite as badly as he has and continue to benefit from these exercises.
- I don't agree with recommending hormone replacement therapy for women. (And it's unclear what Abel recommends for women -testosterone or something else?)
- The author says we shouldn't do upright rows, then proceeds to put them in the workouts! He also includes behind-the-neck pull-downs, which are widely known to be unhealthy for the shoulders. He lost credibility in a big way here.
- The PA50 programs are difficult to understand (and I'm a personal trainer!).

Overall, I would recommend this book, as long as you know its pitfalls.
54 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Name Less Peeps
5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a tell-all, honest fitness book written for aging boomers like me.
Reviewed in Canada on October 26, 2017
Verified Purchase
I’ve been training with weights on and off since I was a teen to put some meat on my bones and gain some confidence. It worked. I put on the muscle, gained the strength and felt great. As I entered my fifties, however, I began to notice the changes my body was going through but had trouble accepting the transformation. That changed when I discovered Coach Abel’s PA50 eBook. After reading it and applying the principles I changed my mind set and accepted the changes that come as a body ages. I’ve adjusted my workouts and continue to see progress. If you’re in your fifties and want some straight talk on seeing yourself through the “Platinum Years” get this book and follow Coach’s advice. Your body will thank you. Long live Coach Abel!
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Stevie G
5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book if you want to train with weights as you age in a safe, enjoyable fashion .
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 7, 2018
Verified Purchase
I have weight trained all my life . With good results and bad results. Forever changing routines but always sticking to basic , compound movements. I like the idea of training solely with dumbells etc . I train outdoors in my large garden . I love my rusty weights , pull ups and dips stations . I shall adopt these ideas as I am 60 nearly and have the injury niggles . I do not have access to cable machines but I shall survive . The book was very useful and informative . It made me realise that we all age but we all do not have to give up our training pleasures . Weight training has been a huge part of my life .Long may it continue. It seems wise to do more volume with less weight in a scientific fashion . Going to take me while to adjust my hard gainer philosophy . But I look forward to the challenge .
3 people found this helpful
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Bibi Brock
5.0 out of 5 stars Scott clearly knows what he is talking about and makes some very good points about exercising after 50 and what the limitations
Reviewed in Australia on January 13, 2017
Verified Purchase
Firstly, let me say I paid for this book because the subject is of interest to me. Scott clearly knows what he is talking about and makes some very good points about exercising after 50 and what the limitations and expectations are for that age group. There is a lot of detail in this book including an exercise plan if you need one. Good to see someone setting the record straight on what can be done in the way of effective exercise to look great after 50.
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KarateGuy
4.0 out of 5 stars and I tried them and they suck! I have kettlebells and they work way better ...
Reviewed in Canada on October 18, 2017
Verified Purchase
I agree with most of this book, But...
First he recommends dumbbell squats, for various reasons, and I tried them and they suck!
I have kettlebells and they work way better for squats then Dumbbells!
Also He doesn't recommend the dead lift, which if learned correctly, is a fantastic exercise for enabling an older person to pick stuff up off the floor.
You don't need to lift heavy to get the benefit.
Though I thought it was well thought out for us people over 50.
One person found this helpful
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harry gardner
4.0 out of 5 stars improveing years
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 30, 2016
Verified Purchase
how beneficial your programme is to you is of some importance to your well-being. the fact that you can improve that level of well-being is also of importance to your attitude to yourself and to your outlook on life. A sensible programme produces greater favourab!e results which can only be beneficial to you and your way of life.
5 people found this helpful
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