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Old 04-20-16, 03:56 PM  
Chomper
 
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Originally Posted by Chomper View Post
Hmm. I like Margaret Richard, and used her workouts successfully for a few years. But I have to say that squats and jumping jacks are not necessarily off limits to older individuals.

I looked at both of the articles Margaret criticizes, and while I agree that the "15 min workout" looks pretty bad for anybody of any age, the "13 Moves" one seems pretty solid. Although, I also think those moves might be better done with a personal trainer if the person in question was previously sedentary.

http://blog.aarp.org/2013/06/10/summ...heck-this-out/

http://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-l...cise-plan.html

I was wondering where the jumping jacks came in and then found the aarp 15 minute workout video:

http://videos.aarp.org/detail/videos...autoStart=true

Could this workout have been better designed for an aging population that may be new exercisers? Yes. It wasn't great. But she did provide modifications.

To be brutally honest, the reason I moved away from Margaret Richard is that I started to realize she neglects some very basic crucial movement patterns. She almost never does squats, and I don't recall any hip hinges or rows. Her back exercise is more of a shoulder exercise as far as I could tell after doing it for a few years. I think her workouts are great for people who have certain limitations, like if they can't squat or hip hinge because of injury or arthritis. But, if people can squat and hip hinge, they really should, in my opinion.
ETA: to clarify, I think people who can should be encouraged to squat and hip hinge. If they don't want to, no big deal, but they shouldn't be discouraged from it.
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Old 04-20-16, 04:08 PM  
Sue B
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Margaret Richard clearly has never heard of Ernestine Shepherd.

I'm almost 55, and I do jumping jacks, burpee variations, high-flying airborne jacks, tuck jumps, plié jacks and all that jazz on a weekly basis. And I squat all the time.

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Wait till Cathe hears you shouldn't do jumping jacks or squats after 50. Or Billy Blanks, Tony Horton, Jane Fonda, Kathy Smith, KCM, etc. etc.

Yes, these are fitness pros, not average couch potatoes. But I don't care for broad brush assumptions about people over 50. They can have a wide range of fitness levels.
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Old 04-20-16, 04:26 PM  
bfit
 
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I have a few thoughts about this whole topic . . . First, "over 50" includes a wide range of ages from 51 to 99 so there's got to be a difference in what's appropriate for someone in their 50s and for someone in their 90s. Also, I don't think people should be discouraged from doing squats, lunges, burpees, and so on, but for some people seeing all of those exercises crammed into a 15 minute workout could be just plain intimidating, and they might not exercise at all as a result. I think the emphasis should be on helping people figure out what's right for them and where they can improve from there. I guess what I'm saying is that both AARP and Margaret Richard could improve their message. For what it's worth, I'm 59, and I do squats, burpees, jumping jacks, and all of that, but I realize that's not the best thing for everyone.
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Old 04-20-16, 04:37 PM  
videofit
 
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Pat yourselves on the back but VF members are atypical of the general population. Look around at your neighbors, friends, coworkers and people over 50 in general. They are not fit. Fit people know their limitations while the unfit don't, so usually get discouraged when they can't do the recommended exercises or sustain injuries trying to do them since they are for 'old people.'

Margaret's exercises are joint friendly, especially important for older people with arthritis, for example. I've had bad knees since teen years and thanks to years of doing Margaret's workouts my knees have never been better. I have a wrist problem so I wouldn't be able to do some of the exercises in that video. But I know my limitations and know how to modify. Non-exercisers are clueless.
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Old 04-20-16, 04:58 PM  
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Years back, Margaret Richard did a video for the National Institute on Aging. I had bought it for my father, and I thought it was a good video with traditional exercises using weights. She would be a great spokesperson or writer for AARP. I think that she is mindful of what is safe and effective for older people, taking into account that there are varying levels of fitness.
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Old 04-20-16, 06:02 PM  
beyond.omega
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I didn't watch the video (trying to save data) but I actually think the 15 minute workout article is a great idea. I know Margaret Richards is a very well-respected authority in the fitness industry, and I know she has done a lot of good for people. But this sort of sounds like creating controversy to promote herself.

But also, she may be of the opinion that squats and jumping jacks are a bad idea for anyone over 50, but in the fitness industry there is often disagreement between professionals, and personally, I have seen people I have tremendous respect for say things I don't agree with. They have their biases which influences them away from a larger perspective because they are human like the rest of us. That doesn't mean I have to throw away everything. I can just leave out the part I don't agree with or doesn't work for me.

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Originally Posted by videofit View Post
Pat yourselves on the back but VF members are atypical of the general population. Look around at your neighbors, friends, coworkers and people over 50 in general. They are not fit. Fit people know their limitations while the unfit don't, so usually get discouraged when they can't do the recommended exercises or sustain injuries trying to do them since they are for 'old people.'

Margaret's exercises are joint friendly, especially important for older people with arthritis, for example. I've had bad knees since teen years and thanks to years of doing Margaret's workouts my knees have never been better. I have a wrist problem so I wouldn't be able to do some of the exercises in that video. But I know my limitations and know how to modify. Non-exercisers are clueless.
Sounds to me like you have some extreme biases of your own and/or live in some bizarre bubble. 50 really isn't that old. VFer's aren't the only over-50 crowd who are physically fit and active, and most non-exercisers who want to become active have many resources available to them. That's great that MR has really helped you and you should keep it up. But her way isn't the only way, and I don't think the over-50 crowd needs necessarily needs MR to be their savior.
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Old 04-20-16, 06:12 PM  
seagreen01
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Originally Posted by videofit View Post
Pat yourselves on the back but VF members are atypical of the general population. Look around at your neighbors, friends, coworkers and people over 50 in general. They are not fit. Fit people know their limitations while the unfit don't, so usually get discouraged when they can't do the recommended exercises or sustain injuries trying to do them since they are for 'old people.'

Margaret's exercises are joint friendly, especially important for older people with arthritis, for example. I've had bad knees since teen years and thanks to years of doing Margaret's workouts my knees have never been better. I have a wrist problem so I wouldn't be able to do some of the exercises in that video. But I know my limitations and know how to modify. Non-exercisers are clueless.
I somewhat agree with this. Recently I have joined a gym for a year (with a friend) and because of our ages we are doing seniors classes subsidised by the local council for care of the aged. I would say most of the participants have never formally exercised or been to a gym. Some have done group sport, played tennis, golf or have cycled outside. These are not wimpy classes by any means and many of the seniors struggle. Many people drop off eventually because it's hard and some persevere but with form issues and that is seriously scary to watch. Most of the instructors are young and while they have the appropriate on paper training still seem to lack empathy and understanding. There are five week day morning classes and the two classes that are successful and pack in the seniors are a weights class led by a vibrant in her fifties instructor and an in her forties very witty Pilates and stretch instructor. The spin, and les mills body balance scare people away and the circuit class while fun has had falls and injuries, all 3 are lead by young ones. What I see are that those who have exercised in previous years cope better than those who come to get fit as seniors also shoulder injuries and existing knee problems seem to be the the most prominent in our group.
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Old 04-20-16, 06:17 PM  
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"I think Margaret made generalizations in her email to AARP based on her experience. Margaret clearly knows her stuff but shouldn't assume to know what's good for all AARP members. People are living longer, and are more active in their "AARP years". Not all exercise has to be slow, gentle movements."

I agree. Maybe something that states what level of an exerciser 'these' workouts would be for. I hope they don't start holding back on what us oldies over 50 can do!!! (Says she that ran 10 5K races last year at 53)
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Old 04-20-16, 06:27 PM  
seagreen01
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Yes, there is a huge gap, a canyon really between what a fit senior and a beginner to fitness in latter years looks like.
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Old 04-21-16, 10:19 AM  
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That letter looks like a job application. Maybe she's hoping they will pay her for articles and videos.
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aarp, aging, cane fu, ernestine shepherd, margaret richard, margaret richard rotation, national institute aging, senior exercise

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