Expert: Kim Farmer - 1/18/2008

Question
Dear Kim,
I'm a 55 year old man who exercises regularly.  I'm still somewhat overweight, ie 180 lbs at 5 feet 8 inches.
Is it realistic to expect I can have the stamina and endurance of people in their 20s or 30s?  Or is it impossible to get back that kind of stamina and endurance and strength of that age group?  I am especially worried about getting more and more out of breath while exercising, especially aerobic type.  My wind just gives out quicker and with less exertion than the 20 or 30 year olds training with me.  Can I do anything about this or is it just the way things go with increasing age?
Thank you very much.
Mike

Answer
Hello-
Unless you are training pretty hard then you will not be able to have the endurance and stamina of a 20 or 30 year old.  With age comes decreased muscular endurance, decreased strength, decreased cardiovascular capacity and decreased flexibility.  However, you can counteract some of these things with the right type of exercise.  You didn't mention what type of exercise you are doing, and so I can't tell you what to change.  Just continue to keep exercise a consistent part of your routine (i.e. 4-5 days/week) including strength training 2-3 days.  I would be glad to put together a program for you, just let me know.

Hope this helps,

Thanks.
Kim