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.
So give strength training a try!
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.
- Passive – The patient needs complete assistance.
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.
As we get older our bodies change in a variety of ways, unfortunately not for the better. Although we can’t stop the hands of time that make look and feel older we can do things to slow it down. Strength training is a great way to keep your muscles strong and tone. But can it help with the problems that aging has on your bones.
What does aging do to the body’s bones?
So often in older people you will notice that their posture is bad as if their back has lost its support causing them to change the way they walk and stand. The reason behind this is that the bones in the spine, the vertebrae, lose calcium and minerals causing them to become thinner. This in turn causes the spine to curve and the bones and disks become compressed together. Other bones also lose calcium and minerals causing them to become brittle. The joints between the muscles are also affected by age. They become stiff and they lose their flexibility due to the lose of fluid.
All these changes can lead to limited mobility and possibly arthritis.
What can be done about all this?
Strength training of course and a healthy diet will be your best bet at slowing down the effects of aging on your bones and joints.
Always remember to check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.
Is lifting weights the only way to increase strength and build muscles? Actually there is another way to build a strong body and enjoy the benefits of strength training and that is with resistance bands. Not only are resistance bands effective there are also advantages of them over weights.
The main difference between lifting weight (barbells, weight machines) and resistance bands is how you feel when doing exercises. That is due to the constant tension that you experience when using bands, the muscles are constantly working. When lifting weights the muscle is worked at first such as a bench pressing when the bar is pressed up. When the bar is lowered, gravity helps, giving the muscle less of a workout.
Another advantage is the flexibility of working with a resistance band. There are many different exercises that you can do with a resistance band so your workout wouldn’t be limiting. But probably the best reason to consider resistance bands is that you take them on trips because they are easy to carry and a lot easier to store than free weights.
Exercise, whether it is strength training or aerobic exercise, has always played an important part in maintaining good health. Along with eating right, you certainly increase your chances of living a long and healthy life. But what does all that exercise do for your emotional state? Does it do anything at all? Can strength training make you happy?
Before we talk about happiness and exercise you need to know about endorphins. Endorphins are brain chemicals that are called neurotransmitters. What neurotransmitters do is transmit electrical signals to the brain. The pituitary gland is where the endorphins are located.
Why are endorphins released?
The body will release endorphins when there is pain or stress as a natural defense. Like a drug the endorphins help us cope with the pain and the stress.
What sets off the endorphins?
As you probably guessed exercise is one thing that sets off endorphins. Think of endorphins not only as a protection against pain and stress but also a type of reward. But it isn’t just exercise that produces endorphin certain foods like hot chili peppers and chocolate also are stimuli. That is way chocolate is such a comfort food for so many people. Of course exercise is the better way to make you feel better than chocolate.
You want to become stronger and you want your muscles to become larger. You are doing strength training on a regular basis but you just don’t see any improvement. What are you doing wrong? If you aren’t increasing the amount of weight that you are lifting then your muscles won’t become bigger or stronger. This is called Progressive resistance strength training.
When you begin strength training or weight lifting, you start out with a weight that you can do a reasonable amount of repetitions in a set. Repetitions are the number of times that you do an exercise and a set is a group of repetitions. Increasing the number of sets at a particular weight will not give the muscles enough resistance to grow bigger. You must increase the weight.
Of course before you increase that weight make sure that you can do at least 2 sets of 10 repetitions before proceeding on to the higher weight. Only increase the weight by five pounds so you will be able to do at least 8 to 10 repetitions. Of course at some point you will max out, but that will take some time.
I am sure that you have been on a long walk with a good friend and the time just went by so fast that you couldn’t believe it. You probably weren’t even tired after you were done. It certainly makes a difference when you have someone along with you. Well, the same goes for strength training.
No matter what kind of exercise or activity that you do it always seems better when someone else is exercising with you. Strength training is no different.
What are the benefits?
- Safety – If you are new to exercising, especially strength training or lifting weights having a partner to lift with is a good idea. If the workout becomes too much for you or you have over exerted yourself then your partner will be able to assist you if needed.
- Slow down your training – You might think that slowing down your training is a bad thing but it’s not. You don’t want to rush through a workout. If you take turns lifting then you will give your body a chance to recover between exercises.
- Technique – While you are lifting your partner can observe how you are doing your exercises and possibly make suggestions about your lifting technique.
- Pleasant company – Like the walking example that I gave, exercising with a partner will make your time more enjoyable.
Of course it isn’t always possible to find someone to exercise with and that’s okay but if you can try to find a partner to do your strength training with.
