Frailty is not inevitable as we age. Strength training is an essential part of a healthy and vibrant life for people over 50. No matter what age of a person who starts strength training they can build new muscle and become stronger.
This is what happens to our bodies as we age.
After the age of 50 we lose about 5 percent of muscle mass per decade. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, over the average lifetime this adds up to a 30-40 percent loss of muscle strength and functionality. Sixty-five to seventy percent of people over the age of 70 have a hard time or cannot lift 10 pounds, the weight of an average bag of groceries. Some other changes are the loss of bone strength , Hormonal decline and the loss of stability and coordination
Strength Training slows or reverses the changes.
According to Dr. David Di Paulo, radiologist at The University of Texas Health Center at Tyler and nationally certified fitness trainer, 55 percent of people over the age of 50 have osteoporosis, brittle bones. Strength training has been shown to increase the minerals content in the bones and increase bone density. Strength training adds more weight to the skeleton by building muscle; this stimulates the bones to strengthen and grow to bear the heavier load on the muscles.
Proper strength training doesn’t apply stress directly to joints, it is ideal for people with arthritis; rheumatologists often recommend it. Although it cannot reverse arthritic changes, lifting weights helps alleviate symptoms by strengthening the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that surround joints.
In a study conducted by Tufts University in 2006, strength training has been shown to significantly decrease the risk of diabetes, colon cancer, high blood pressure, lower back pain.
No, you will not get huge muscles
More women are concerned with this one. Muscle size is primarily affected by genetics and by hormone production (Testosterone); therefore, most women don’t have the potential to build very large muscles. You would have to spend eight hours a day, five days a week and a special diet to get close to looking like a bodybuilder.
You do not have to join a gym or buy expensive equipment; your body weight is enough resistance to start gaining muscle.
Benefits
Strength training has benefits such as enabling muscles and tendons to act like shock absorbers in a car, helping to protect joints, especially the vulnerable knee joint, from injury. Well-balanced muscles improve posture, flexibility and coordination.
For every pound of muscle you gain from strength training, your body will burn about 50 more calories every day. That’s the difference between a cup of skim milk and a cup of whole milk. If you build a single pound of muscle through strength training, you’ll be burning an extra 50 calories every single day. You’ll even burn more calories in your sleep.
According to Dr. Mark Williams a professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology at Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Neb., “Just like we once learned that people with heart disease benefited from aerobic exercise, we are now learning that guided, moderate weight training also has significant benefits. Resistance training not only enhances the benefits of aerobic fitness, but it appears to provide the added benefit of increased functional capacity and independence. It helps people better perform tasks of daily living – like lifting sacks of groceries.”There is an upside for aging; it is the ability to respond to strength training with large gains in strength, mobility and physical fitness. Strength training studies have repeatedly demonstrated the capacity of older muscle to adapt to specifically designed training programs, resulting in gains in both strength and muscle size regardless of age or gender.
Strength training is one solution that can be used to combat the changes in bone strength, muscle strength, hormone levels and inject more vitality and happiness into your life as you age.