I still have my 1995 copy of "Living Stronger Longer: The 6 week Plan to Enhance & Extend Your Years Over 40" by Ellington Darden. I see it as a great course for building health and fitness for those over 40; and it has great workouts! Great book, and makes life easier for men over 40 and beyond. It has workouts for weeks 1 through 6 using either machines and or using a barbell and dumbbells. Plus a second group of 4 workouts for maintenance using machine exercise and 4 workouts for those using barbells and dumbbells. Now these workouts all can be used with weights or machines but can be used with Isometric Weightlifting-AKA VRT. Exercise is vital and fitness is good for us, walking or power walking helps make life better.
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Health, Fitness, Non-Apparatus Exercise, Unarmed Self-Defense, Firearms Self Defense
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I think that the two best methods to exercise are calisthenic courses like the Charles Atlas Course and Isometric exercises & Isometric exercisers. As a boy in Little Italy the Grandpa's, Great Uncle's and Dad's taught the boys to do push-ups, sit-ups and leg lifts and assorted other calisthenics very similar to the Atlas Course. I did not see an Atlas Course until in my late 40's. In New York various forms of Isometrics were also popular, Isometric Exercisers, Isometric Courses. Oddly these two methods are the safest ones. I'd count Plank exercises as Isometrics too.
The Isometric Exerciser I used as a boy and even now is a Snyder Isometric Exerciser and some used the Strength Builder or Mickey Mantle One Minute a Day Gym exercisers. Now "Steamer Trunk Belts" were popular and are again popular; you use weightlifting exercises as Isometrics using the web Belt. Also popular were the "Chest Expander" exerciser, with springs and two handles.