Weight Lifting for Seniors

 

My muscles and joints are all sore today so the thought of exercise doesn’t exactly excite me.  However, I am a sucker for punishment and I can’t help but be inspired by the article in the Herald by David Chircop (February 2, 2009) about a 70 year old lady weight lifter.  Wow!  Three mornings a week she drives to her gym to train for competitive weight lifting competitions. The most inspiring part is that she holds world records and didn’t start training until she was 60.

 

You don’t have to be a competitive weight lifter to benefit from strength training.    Older bodies, even frail ones, need to fight back against the loss of muscle mass and strength.  Strength training is the most important thing that you can do for yourself.  A regular program of strengthening plus some aerobic work can prevent some of the functional decline associated with aging.

 

You are thinking that this had better be good.   It is.  Strength training builds muscle strength (we lose 5-7 lbs of muscle every decade after age 20 so we are fighting a down hill battle here).  Strength training improves functional strength and flexibility; increases bone mass, lowers body fat and may even reduce back pain and lower your blood pressure. 

 

Weight training isn’t just for buff young men.  Seniors can get in shape, look good and even compete if they want too.  The point to remember is that seniors do have some special needs to take into consideration.  Senior bodies just don’t bounce back from injuries the way that young bodies do, and chronic medical problems and old injuries can be a problem.  It is necessary for seniors to consult their physicians and consider finding a trainer who specializes in senior needs.  Otherwise, the only words of advice that you will hear is to start slowly and build very gradually.  All you need is some light weight dumbbells and an exercise bench to get started. 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Ann Tiilsen]

Some related facts about senior fitness from my article:

Fact: Every hour of every day, 330 Americans turn 60.

Fact: By 2030, one in five Americans will be older than 65.

Fact: The number of people over 100 doubles every decade.

Fact: As they age, people lose muscle mass and strength, flexibility and
bone.

Fact: The resulting frailty leads to a loss of mobility and independence.

The last two facts may sound discouraging. But they can be countered by regular participation in aerobics, strength training and balance and flexibility exercises can delay and may even prevent a life-limiting loss of physical abilities into one’s 90’s and beyond.

Article is here:

http://impowerage.com/2009/02/154/

Thanks