The thought of getting on the floor and doing sit-ups isn’t very appealing. You may have nightmares of gym classes where you strained yourself to keep up with the gym instructor. At that time it seemed that the basic sit-up was the only thing that would make your stomach muscles stronger but now it is just one of numerous exercises that help with that hidden six pack that you have.
Strengthening the abdominal muscles is important not only for tightening up that gut but also for keeping your core muscles strong. Your stomach, your lower back and your hips are an important part of your overall strength many believe that you can’t be physically fit without a strong core.
Something that you probably have heard and it is well worth repeating, you can’t lose weight by just doing sit-ups or any other stomach exercise. You lose weight by eating fewer calories and burning off calories and the weight comes off everywhere not just in the stomach area.
Here is a great video from Expert village to get you started.
When ever something comes along that you think that you want to do or should do and it’s a challenge to do it, do you hesitate? It seems that your mind always has plenty of reasons not to do something. If that activity is strength training, what is stopping you?
Is it your age? Are you worried that since you are a little older that strength or resistance training might be too much for you? Or maybe you are afraid that you might injure yourself lifting weights? Those are legitimate arguments but they shouldn’t stop you from trying. Lifting weights is like running or walking in one respect, you have to start out slowly and then gradually increase your activity. Light weights or even no weights are the way to start out. After a while you will find yourself becoming stronger, and then you can increase the weights.
As for injuries, they may happen and they may set you back but they shouldn’t end your attempt at strength training. If you are careful and only lift weight that you feel comfortable with you’ll avoid most injuries.
What else could be stopping you from strength training? Maybe you don’t want to lift weights and feel that it wouldn’t help you anyway. Now more than ever folks in the medical field are recommending strength training for older people. Why? Because the benefits are wonderful, you will feel healthier, stronger, and more confident, you’ll probably sleep better and those are just a few benefits from strength training.
Getting started in strength training, especially if you are older is a great idea. What is just as important as doing strength training is to do strength training right, avoid making common mistakes that beginners usually do.
Check with your doctor first. This is important because your doctor can advise you on how much exercise to do and what not to do.
Lifting too much weight at first. You are probably gung-ho about strength training and you want to lift as much weight as possible in the beginning. When you lift you want to be comfortable with the weight at first. When you feel that you can do 2 sets of 10 repetitions then gradually increase the weight. If you increase too fast you may injure your self.
Proper technique will insure that you are getting the most out of your workouts. Lifting the wrong way could lead to injuries.
Not lifting on a regular basis. Lifting twice a week should be enough times to do strength training just make sure you don’t miss a session.
Becoming discouraged because it seems that you aren’t making any progress. Give yourself time to build muscles and strength Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Getting older doesn’t mean that you can’t take care of your self. You want and need to be self-reliant. The everyday chores and activities that you have been doing for years shouldn’t be a problem, but for some it is. So what is the solution? Functional fitness for older adults who need to build up their strength in order to be able to do the things that they have always done. It also helps prevent injuries and possible illnesses.
We all know of the benefits of exercise, a strong heart, strong muscles, keep weight down, more energy and an increased feeling of well being. You should also add to that list independence from needing help to do everyday activities.
Functional fitness can be achieved by 2 things:
exercise – Not only aerobic which is great for the heart and keeping your weight down but also strength training which strengthens muscles and improves bone mass. Strength training can also improve balance which is vital in older people.
Keeping active – Don’t be a couch potato! Try to stay as active as possible when you are older. Participate in sports, garden or do any hobby that gets you moving around.
In order to have a complete workout regimen you have to incorporate both strength training and aerobic training. Each benefits you in a different way. Strength training builds muscles and helps prevent bone loss in older people and countless other benefits. Aerobic exercise, such as walking, swimming and bicycling strengthens your heart muscle which is extremely vital. Is there any way to combine the two types of exercise? Yes it is called circuit training.
According to Wikipedia circuit training was developed by R.E. Morgan and G.T. Anderson in 1953 at the University of Leeds in England. The idea behind circuit training is to have a fast paced exercise program where there is little or no rest time between exercises. The exercises could be anything from weigh machines to calisthenics. One key advantage of this type of program is that it can work the muscles areas that would help with what ever sport that you engage in.
Circuit training is probably more suited for those who are advanced in training and in better shape. It isn’t for beginners. And as for the strength training there is question as to whether it is as productive as a regular strength training program.
Stiffness in the bones and joints may prevent you from doing some of things that you need to do or enjoy doing. The inability to do certain things that you used to do when you were younger can definitely be frustrating and lead you to believe that there isn’t any hope. But there is hope, besides strength training for building muscles and stronger bones, there is also range of motion exercises which can be done by older people as well.
What is range of motion exercises?
Range of motion exercises is a type of stretching exercises. When doing this kind of exercise it is always best to do them slowly and fluidly. If at any time you feel pain you should stop. Range of motion exercises is particularly useful for arthritis patients.
The exercises fall in to 3 categories
Active – The patient doesn’t need any help during the exercise
Active assistive – The patient feels pain and needs assistance.
Do you remember as a kid how you liked to jump on the bed (until your parents yelled at you to get off). Or maybe you were lucky enough to have a trampoline or knew someone who had one. For what ever reason most people love to jump up and down on a trampoline. Maybe it’s the feeling of exuberance as you go higher and higher. Today bounding on a trampoline as have proven to be good form of exercise and not only for young people, older people should also consider it.
I know what you are thinking; I’ll fall off and break my neck. If visions of you flying through the air and then falling on the sidewalk come to mind, relax. The exercise trampolines are smaller then they used to be and as with any exercise you should check with your doctor and then start off cautiously. Some even have handles to hold on to.
Why is it such a good exercise?
It has to do with the lymph system, which is liquid that flows between our cells and carries out waste out of our bodies. Of course when we have a sedentary lifestyle the liquid doesn’t move as well as it should causing the fat to stay in our bodies. Rebounding helps the lymph system move the waste and toxins through the body.
Rebounding is also a good aerobic exercise that along with strength training will enable you to have a good workout routine.
In order to build a stronger body and a body more fit for exercise you need to do core strength training. Like a building that depends on its foundation your body has core muscles that must be strengthened and taken care of.
Your core muscles are in your abdomen, back and hips. This general area is the core of how you move and how you exercise. Without a strong core you wouldn’t be able to reach your potential in strength training and you would probably have a difficult time doing just the simplest things in life. To often people who start to exercise concentrate on getting bigger arms, shoulders and a broad chest. That is fine, but your main focus should be to strengthen your stomach and your back. Why? Whether you are aware of it or not lifting depends greatly on a strong abdomen and a equally strong back.
What are the best exercises for strengthening the core muscles?
All abs workouts are good as long as they don’t strain your stomach or your back. A common workout device for balance and core developing is a stability ball. There are various exercises that you can do with a stability ball that will help with your core. from the mayoclinic.com site there is a slide show that provides core exercises.
As always check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.
Other benefits of a strong core are good posture and good balance, which is important as you grow older.
There is one thing that can’t be stressed enough and that is to increase the amount of weight that you are lifting. Lifting the same amount of weight, even if you increase the number of repetitions doesn’t help as much as increasing the weight. This type of exercise regiment is considered progressive resistance training.
Why do you need to increase the weight?
Your muscles will get comfortable to lifting a certain amount of weight after a while. You have to push your self and your muscles in order to get stronger. But just remember that the increase should be gradual.
If you are using 10 pound dumbbells and you can do 2 sets of 10 reps comfortably then it is probably a good time to increase the weight, not much though. Two sets of 10 repetitions is probably a good benchmark to shot for before increasing that weight.
Always be careful when lifting weight and never strain yourself to lift any amount of weight.
In an earlier article I wrote about Sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass. This usually occurs as we age. Luckily there are things that we can do (strength training) to slow that down.
Is muscle loss inevitable?
Of course aging is inevitable, but how we age is not. If we eat the wrong foods and don’t exercise aging will not only occur but it will accelerate. While walking, running or aerobics are great for the heart they really don’t slow down Sarcopenia. Strength or resistance training is the key to keeping that muscle mass and getting stronger to boot. And the great thing is that you can start at any age to lift weights (check with your doctor first of course) Just remember even if you are older that doesn’t mean you can’t build muscles.
Don’t give up on the aerobics but a well balanced exercise program will also have strength training.
