STRENGTH TRAINING AS WE AGE
I am a personal trainer and group exercise instructor that specializes in working with people ages 50 and beyond. Many of my clients and class participants ask me about strength training and it’s importance as we age, so I wanted to address this in a blog.
Strength training is imperative when it comes to staying healthy, especially as we age. People lose bone mass or density as they age, especially women after menopause. The bones lose calcium and other minerals. Also, lean body mass decreases. This decrease is partly caused by a loss of muscle tissue (atrophy). Lastly, muscles are less toned and less able to contract because of changes in the muscle tissue and normal aging changes in the nervous system. Muscles may become rigid with age and may lose tone, even with regular exercise.
If we hope to continue staying active doing the things we love to do, we need to keep our bodies strong in order to stay as healthy as possible. How do we keep our bodies strong? We do strength training!
There are many pieces of equipment you can utilize to strength train. First and foremost, though, is your safety. You must be sure you are using whatever equipment you decide to use, correctly and safely. There are often attendants at the gym to help you with how to utilize the equipment, and I would highly recommend taking advantage of this benefit.
I also would suggest hiring a personal trainer to help you identify what strength training program is for you given your particular scenario and potential limitations (depending on your medical background, etc). I truly feel it’s one of those investments that is highly beneficial to an individual’s long term self care plan. It’s so important to have a supportive village around you to help you age gracefully and I feel as if a personal trainer should be part of that team if at all possible. Even if you don’t commit to working together on a regular basis, you can make an appointment every now and then to touch base and get new ideas, etc.
WHAT EQUIPMENT SHOULD I USE
MACHINES AT THE GYM - Often there are clear directions on each machine indicating how to use it and for what muscle it’s targeting. Remember to ask a gym attendant on how to utilize the machine if you have any questions. Safety is a top priority.
FREE WEIGHTS/ DUMBELLS- You can utilize free weights at a gym or at home, but again, be sure you are doing the exercises correctly to prevent injury. I would recommend consulting a personal trainer to assist with this to get you started safely.
CORE STABILITY EQUIPMENT – Keeping the core strong is essential, especially as we age. There are many pieces of equipment (BOSU ball, various balance balls and boards, etc) you can use at home or your gym to assist with this goal.
OTHER STRENGTH TRAINING EQUIPMENT – Weights and machines are not the only pieces of equipment you can utilize to strength train. There are a million different other pieces of equipement you can use to keep you strong, such as bands (countless styles and options), various weighted balls, Kettlebells, and much much more
Bands are one of my favorite ways to strength train because you can take them anywhere.
BENEFITS OF STRENGTH TRAINING
Increased muscle mass
Stronger bones
Joint flexibility
Weight control
Improves balance
Can help with some chronic disease management (such as arthritis, type 2 diabetes)
Boosts energy levels and improves your mood
Has cardiovascular health benefits
Lower risk of injury
Helps you preform every day activities
Better quality of life
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I DO STRENGTH TRAINING
The American Medical Association recommends that one should do strength training at leave twice a week. Furthermore, these sessions should not be done back to back. There should be at least one day in between each strength training session to let your muscles recover.