Sport to take up at 50.

[tertius]

Nobby Diesel said:

Rowing.
End.

This. Or cycling. Something you sit down at anyway.

Rowing has a very well developed and active Masters competition structure, grouped by (average) age of crew.

[Eleven]

tertius said:

Nobby Diesel said:

Rowing.
End.

This. Or cycling. Something you sit down at anyway.

Rowing has a very well developed and active Masters competition structure, grouped by (average) age of crew.

One of the blokes at our gym is a serious rower, he's about 60 and competes nationally I believe, he has quite a hunched appearance which I presume is rowing related. Not a good look.

[bladerrw]

Eleven said:

tertius said:

Nobby Diesel said:

Rowing.
End.

This. Or cycling. Something you sit down at anyway.

Rowing has a very well developed and active Masters competition structure, grouped by (average) age of crew.

One of the blokes at our gym is a serious rower, he's about 60 and competes nationally I believe, he has quite a hunched appearance which I presume is rowing related. Not a good look.

I'm 48 and an active rower (since school) but I think it's not a good sport to take up at 50. It's why I recommended kayaking. With rowing you are going to find it difficult to get to a competitive level quickly, it's uncomfortable learning, expensive and you need a really organised club close to you.

With kayaking on the other hand, you can be training and exploring the waterways within a couple of sessions and racing after a couple of months. You can soon go out by yourself. K1 kayaks cost £300-£2000. Rowing single scull3 cost £2500 - £10,000+.

I stepped into a K2 for the first time in September and by March was ready to race the premier kayaking marathon competition (arguably in the world? Devizes to London 200km race. Progression like that just isn't possible in rowing.

Against this - adult beginners at my rowing club seem to love it and become completely addicted.

[bladerrw]

Eleven said:

tertius said:

Nobby Diesel said:

Rowing.
End.

This. Or cycling. Something you sit down at anyway.

Rowing has a very well developed and active Masters competition structure, grouped by (average) age of crew.

One of the blokes at our gym is a serious rower, he's about 60 and competes nationally I believe, he has quite a hunched appearance which I presume is rowing related. Not a good look.

Rowing doesn't give you a hunched look but it can be hard on the lower back. Starting at 50 is going to be painful but maybe inspirational. Sit on a Concept 2 rowing machine at a gym and do 1000m as fast as you can. See how you feel 'cos you've got a lot of that feeling ahead of you.

[dave_s13]

LordGrover said:

Olympic or Power lifting?

ETA I'm 52 later this month and love it. Still.

Edited by LordGrover on Thursday 3rd July 14:13

At 50? Hope the op is very flexible.

I do Crossfit and the Olympic lifts I find are completely impossible. Incredible how much shoulder and hip flexibility it takes.

I wish I was more bendy!

[boobles]

I don't understand people at that age wanting to do any sport! Surely sitting there drinking tea & eating digestive biscuits whilst smelling on pee is the main priority!

[Fittster]

Nobby Diesel said:

Rowing.
End.

Isn't it very advantages to be tall if you want to be competitive?

[LordGrover]

dave_s13 said:

At 50? Hope the op is very flexible.

I do Crossfit and the Olympic lifts I find are completely impossible. Incredible how much shoulder and hip flexibility it takes.

I wish I was more bendy!

Crossfit is, shall we say, less strict with form (and is an injury waiting to happen).
Lifting properly within your limits with good form is beneficial to anyone at any age.
Crossfit, not so much.

[tertius]

bladerrw said:

Eleven said:

tertius said:

Nobby Diesel said:

Rowing.
End.

This. Or cycling. Something you sit down at anyway.

Rowing has a very well developed and active Masters competition structure, grouped by (average) age of crew.

One of the blokes at our gym is a serious rower, he's about 60 and competes nationally I believe, he has quite a hunched appearance which I presume is rowing related. Not a good look.

I'm 48 and an active rower (since school) but I think it's not a good sport to take up at 50. It's why I recommended kayaking. With rowing you are going to find it difficult to get to a competitive level quickly, it's uncomfortable learning, expensive and you need a really organised club close to you.

With kayaking on the other hand, you can be training and exploring the waterways within a couple of sessions and racing after a couple of months. You can soon go out by yourself. K1 kayaks cost £300-£2000. Rowing single scull3 cost £2500 - £10,000+.

I stepped into a K2 for the first time in September and by March was ready to race the premier kayaking marathon competition (arguably in the world? Devizes to London 200km race. Progression like that just isn't possible in rowing.

Against this - adult beginners at my rowing club seem to love it and become completely addicted.

Of course you need to like swimming if you take up canoeing ...

The cost of a boat is. Bit of a red herring I think, I too have rowed since school and have. Ever owned my own boat - it's really not necessary unless you are absolutely dead keen on single sculling. I doubt if there is a club in the country that won't have at least a couple of club singles (as well as every other class of boat) available.

Moreover most beginners will be in much bigger boats - eights and fours - with the additional sociability that brings.

[Eleven]

tertius said:

bladerrw said:

Eleven said:

tertius said:

Nobby Diesel said:

Rowing.
End.

This. Or cycling. Something you sit down at anyway.

Rowing has a very well developed and active Masters competition structure, grouped by (average) age of crew.

One of the blokes at our gym is a serious rower, he's about 60 and competes nationally I believe, he has quite a hunched appearance which I presume is rowing related. Not a good look.

I'm 48 and an active rower (since school) but I think it's not a good sport to take up at 50. It's why I recommended kayaking. With rowing you are going to find it difficult to get to a competitive level quickly, it's uncomfortable learning, expensive and you need a really organised club close to you.

With kayaking on the other hand, you can be training and exploring the waterways within a couple of sessions and racing after a couple of months. You can soon go out by yourself. K1 kayaks cost £300-£2000. Rowing single scull3 cost £2500 - £10,000+.

I stepped into a K2 for the first time in September and by March was ready to race the premier kayaking marathon competition (arguably in the world? Devizes to London 200km race. Progression like that just isn't possible in rowing.

Against this - adult beginners at my rowing club seem to love it and become completely addicted.

Of course you need to like swimming if you take up canoeing ...

The cost of a boat is. Bit of a red herring I think, I too have rowed since school and have. Ever owned my own boat - it's really not necessary unless you are absolutely dead keen on single sculling. I doubt if there is a club in the country that won't have at least a couple of club singles (as well as every other class of boat) available.

Moreover most beginners will be in much bigger boats - eights and fours - with the additional sociability that brings.

Holme Pierrepont National Water sports centre is just down the road from here. I imagine they've got a boat or two lying about.

[bladerrw]

tertius said:

Of course you need to like swimming if you take up canoeing ...

The cost of a boat is. Bit of a red herring I think, I too have rowed since school and have. Ever owned my own boat - it's really not necessary unless you are absolutely dead keen on single sculling. I doubt if there is a club in the country that won't have at least a couple of club singles (as well as every other class of boat) available.

Moreover most beginners will be in much bigger boats - eights and fours - with the additional sociability that brings.

You're right, it isn't necessary to have your own boat, it's just the cost of rowing equipment v kayaks means membership fees tend to be higher (about £400 v £100 pa for me).

I've got several thousand £s tied up in rowing boats and oars and found it a pleasant surprise that we could buy a competitive K2 for £800 on eBay.

It all hinges on whether you have decent water near you, if not, I'd go for cycling if you want an outdoor sport or do yourself a favour and pick something indoors like squash or badminton.

[bladerrw]

Eleven said:

Holme Pierrepont National Water sports centre is just down the road from here. I imagine they've got a boat or two lying about.

In that case you've got perfect resources for rowing or kayaking right next to you. Possibly the best in the country, a lovely river and a 2k lake on your doorstep. My daughter is just starting kayaking at the club on the Trent which is next door to the rowing club. She's finding them a friendly bunch and they run taster sessions.

[Highway Star]

If you can/have swum a lot before, then swimming is a great sport to do as you get older. Masters meets are common up and down the country and cater for all standards and abilities. Though I'm in one of the younger age groups (35-39), you regularly get men and women competing up into their 80s and older. One well known British masters swimmer is currently setting world records in the 100-104 age group!

It's sociable, low impact, good conditioning and relatively injury-free. Also good for different body shapes/types - if you are powerful, there are some guys in the 50s and even 60s who can still bust out a 50m free in times that would be respectable for a 20 year old club swimmer.

That said, to be competitive, you do need to be a natural/strongish swimmer to start with, though there is a lady in her 80s who is turning in times that are competitive with women 20-30 years younger than her and she only took up swimming in her 60s.

[dave_s13]

LordGrover said:

dave_s13 said:

At 50? Hope the op is very flexible.

I do Crossfit and the Olympic lifts I find are completely impossible. Incredible how much shoulder and hip flexibility it takes.

I wish I was more bendy!

Crossfit is, shall we say, less strict with form (and is an injury waiting to happen).
Lifting properly within your limits with good form is beneficial to anyone at any age.
Crossfit, not so much.

I understand where you're coming from, form does tend to take second place to smashing out the reps. Depends on who teaches it though. An older gent rocking up to a CrossFit gym would need to make sure the instructor is sympathetic toward the advancing years, that's for sure.

My trouble is attaiing the form even with just the bar - no weight.



Getting into that position - jesus it's hard!

[Nom de ploom]

Archery.

[Marcellus]

Dinghy sailing?

We have a lot of people taking it up at 50ish.....

[Zyp]

Interesting thread Manks.

My daughter started rowing over a year ago and now competes around the Midlands in a quad or double - it's a great social activity as well as the health benefits.

However, I've not felt inclined to join her.
As others have said, kayaking is a good one - I competed for a few years in my mid 20's at Nottm Kayak Club until a knackered shoulder forced me to stop.(a great club too)
Since then all I've done is a bit of 5 a side football, and now coach the U7/8's and 9's at rugby.

I also need to start doing something physical again...

To that end, I'm seriously considering starting to play rugby at my local club.
I'm 45.

If you fancy coming along to the training sessions I can give you the details.... I don't think it's far from you

[Eleven]

Zyp said:

Interesting thread Manks.

My daughter started rowing over a year ago and now competes around the Midlands in a quad or double - it's a great social activity as well as the health benefits.

However, I've not felt inclined to join her.
As others have said, kayaking is a good one - I competed for a few years in my mid 20's at Nottm Kayak Club until a knackered shoulder forced me to stop.(a great club too)
Since then all I've done is a bit of 5 a side football, and now coach the U7/8's and 9's at rugby.

I also need to start doing something physical again...

To that end, I'm seriously considering starting to play rugby at my local club.
I'm 45.

If you fancy coming along to the training sessions I can give you the details.... I don't think it's far from you

Thanks for the invite Zyp, however I played rugby at school and it's not my cup of tea. I've also resolved not to do again some of the more injurious things from my youth. For example martial arts. I went on a refresher a year or so ago, got hurt and was taking painkillers for a week afterwards (I also disgraced myself by hitting one of the coaches, but that's another story).

[Zyp]

That's fair enough.

Touch rugby - non contact, will keep you fit.
And it's also played as a mixed male/female game (I'm not sure where you're allowed to touch )

Other than that, as already suggested kayaking and rowing are really worth looking into especially given our facilities here.

There's also the Dragon Boat racing - I see them regularly when I'm Trentside and it looks pretty good.

[aspender]

Eleven said:

Holme Pierrepont National Water sports centre is just down the road from here. I imagine they've got a boat or two lying about.

In which case, head down there on 27th July and watch the Outlaw Triathlon (Ironman distance) and you'll see lots of people your age and beyond doing amazing things that might inspire you.

http://www.onestepbeyond.org.uk/the-outlaw-triathl...