Health ... Fitness
Weight Training for The Older Adult
By Joan Caggiano, Seniors Boutique
I’m not sure exactly who coined the phrase “Fountain of Youth”, but he or she may have very well been referring to the benefits associated with resistive weight training. Resistive weight training has a host of positive effects for the older adult. The numerous studies conducted to evaluate the effects of weight training in the older adult have shown weight training to be extremely beneficial to individuals well into their 90’s. One such study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, involved 100 frail men and women in their 80’s and 90’s, all of whom had generalized arthritis, some degree of heart disease and at least one chronic illness. After 10 weeks of weight training, the mean strength increase was near 120%. This and other studies have dissipated the belief that age may preclude one from lifting weights and has brought to our attention the importance of weight training for all ages, especially those over 40.
Maximum muscle size and strength generally occurs between the ages of 20 and 30. Thereafter, there is a progressive decline in muscular size and, as a result, strength. Weight training is an effective tool for preventing and recovering some of these muscular losses associated with aging. Many determined older adults have initiated a resistive weight training regimen later in life and were able to surpass the muscular size and strength they possessed in their youth.
Other benefits associated with weight training include:
- increased metabolic rate, increased energy, increased flexibility
- increased sense of well being, increased bone density
- increased strength of connective tissue
- not to mention the positive effects on the cardiovascular system.
In fact, these are the very things we are in extreme jeopardy of losing as we age. By simply following a moderate weight training regimen, a number of these age related changes can be slowed and even reversed.
As a general rule of thumb, for those of you over the age of 40, those with a known health condition, those taking any medications or those who have led a sedentary lifestyle for many years should first consult with their medical doctor prior to starting an exercise program. Once you and your doctor have determined that it’s safe for you to begin a weight training program, you must take into consideration that you’re no longer in high school or college and you must begin slowly. As we age, our body’s ability to deal with physical stresses, such as exercise, decreases. What your body was able to cope with years ago versus what it is now able to do is usually very different. This is especially true for those individuals who failed to remain active over the years.
The good news is that weight training can not only allow you to regain some of what you’ve lost, but it may also allow you to achieve new levels of health. It’s never too late to begin reaping the benefits of weight training. It is, however, important that once you reach the age of 40 and beyond, you ease into any new physical activities. Allowing sufficient time for the body to rest and recuperate from the new physical demands becomes increasingly essential.
