Weight Lifting training for Seniors

Strength Training past 50 and for Seniors

Strength Training
for those past 50
and Seniors

Seniors and Weight Training - Why it is so Important as We Age

A right of passage to becoming a senior appears to be joint replacement, either with the knee or shoulder. It is estimated for each 1 pound of excessive weight we carry, your knees must move an additional 3 pounds. If you are carrying 50 lbs extra, your knee joints must move 150 extra pounds down the street and up the stairs.

Your shoulder muscle and back muscles are used to support your shoulders. Lack of proper exercise and maintaining strength in the shoulders allows damage to the joint area due to lack of proper muscle support.

Maintaining proper muscle structure and weight control or proper dieting will adds years of functionality to our lives. What is the proper weigh you should maintain? I believe we should maintain the weight we had at High School graduation – give or take 5 pounds.

A condition knows as Sarcopenia occurs after the approximate age of 40. It is important for anyone, male or female, to understand this condition and the effects on the human body. Sarcopenia causes the muscle cells to die and these dead cells are replaced by fat cells.

A large percentage of the American population exhibits this condition in the waist area. It is presently estimated that over 70% of our country’s population is overweight or obese. These types of fat stores have a great influence on heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and a wide variety of other diseases associated with aging.

The good news is this condition can be reversed and prevented. Diet is at the top of the list, and the second item is strength training or weight lifting. Fat cells can be reduced in size by a proper diet. Muscle cells that have died cannot be replaced or re-grown, but the existing muscle cells can be increased in size by weight lifting. It is also believed that a slow twitch cell can be retrained to perform fast twitch muscle cell functions such as weight lifting, etc.

To amplify the difference between these muscle cells: Fast twitch muscle cells (type 2 anaerobic metabolism have relatively low endurance). Examples of fast twitch muscle function are: lifting, playing golf, picking up items, opening doors, etc. Slow twitch cells (type 1 have relatively high endurance) are used for aerobic exercises such as running, walking, skiing, etc.

My high school graduation weight was 165 pounds with a waist size of 32 inches. My present weight is 172 with a waist size less than 32 inches.

This is not meant to be "an in your face comment", but to make others really think of what we in our society call normal.

What are some of wellness and health benefits with lifting?

Reduce the risk and effects of Sarcopenia

Reduce the risk of heart disease (excessive visceral fat a.k.a. abdominal fat)

Reduce the risk of diabetes (excessive visceral fat a.k.a. abdominal fat)

Reduce the risk of Hodgkin's lymphoma (excessive visceral fat a.k.a. abdominal fat)

Reduce the risk of osteoporosis – if you increase muscle mass, you increase bone
mass (men and women both)

Reduce the risk of high blood pressure

Reduce the loss of muscle mass that comes with aging

At 65 I need to work much harder to keep a lean muscular frame. It is important for seniors of any age to realize they can carry and maintain their muscular strength and appearance for many years.

What are some of the physical benefits of weight training?

Improved posture

Improved self image

Improved physical appearance

Increased energy

Increased ability to perform task

The largest set back to lifting as we age are all of those accumulated injuries we managed to compile as we go thorough life.

The major injuries or problem areas:

Shoulders
Elbows
Knees
Back

One of the major advantages with strength training is work around routines. If shoulders are a problem area other lifting movements may be used permitting minimum stress and wear in the shoulder area. If the back or neck is a problem area, again work around routines can be used to avoid stress to the back area. In many case such as the shoulders, strength training will strengthen those muscle groups increasing one’s ability to perform various task.

The worst thing people do with an injury is stopping all physical activity that may affect the injured area. The muscle will atrophy and the problem typically becomes worse with no activity. I have seen very good results with strength training working with people who have had knee, back and shoulder problems. A physician and Personal Trainer should be consulted before any training routine is attempted.

For men and women the lifting routines are the same; for younger people or older people (seniors) the lifting movements are the same. The major decision is reducing the amount of weight and repetitions senior use in an effort not to injure or re-injure any joints.

As a senior myself, I can honesty say weight lifting has been the most important physical activity I have ever undertaken. I have run, biked and cross country skied, but these activities will not build or maintain the muscle mass that humans lose as we age.

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Weight Lifting For Seniors