Strength Training for Beginners: Why It's Essential for Aging Well
Photo: Hercules Bodybuilding
When I suggest that you strength train two to three times a week, do you picture Arnold Schwarzenegger? Perhaps I look like Arnold to you. I doubt that, but I appreciate the idea of strength or resistance training might seem weird or, worse, not for you.
I've got news for you. You do strength training every time you sit down and stand back up. We call it a squat in the gym and chair pose in yoga. You use your glutes, quadriceps, core, other hip muscles, and the rest of your legs. You do lunges when you step over an obstacle. You do push-ups when you push yourself away from something and pull-ups when you pull yourself up.
Here are more examples of resistance training you are already doing:
climbing stairs
carrying groceries
opening doors
getting in and out of the car
Reaching for something high up
All of that is great.
The more you do, the better.
All of that is not quite enough.
If we don't use our muscles, we start to lose them after age 35. The exact timing is individual, but you want a solid program by the time you reach your 40s.
I will call out my mother here. She is a healthy 89. She has worked out all her life, emphasizing leg, hip, and core strength. She never liked to lift weights and has hardly ever. Her current trainer has trouble getting her to do more than a 1 or 2-lb dumbbell, and she is complaining. As much as my mom is my role model for remaining physically active and don't get me started on her skin routine, she looks at least 10 years younger. She is not my role model when it comes to weights, and I see her muscle loss and notice what she can't do. Her grip strength has deteriorated along with her muscles.
Don't be like Mom (except for skincare).
If you aren't strength training now, develop a program. Better yet, ask me to custom-make one for you.
Let's return to sitting in a chair and getting back up. As I point out to my clients over 80 who are starting to lose that ability, sitting and standing are independence. It's the same with getting in and out of bed or in and out of a car. You want to be able to lift yourself out of a seat as long as possible. Yes?
Strength is independence.
As if that weren't motivating enough, research suggests that muscle loss is associated with higher rates of diabetes, cognitive decline, poor immunity, and inflammation.
Strong muscles also help to strengthen bones. Engaging in resistance training two to three times weekly is a big two-for-one.
If You are New
Here are five exercises to try. Start doing them once a week. Add a second time. Add a third time. You could do them for six days and rest on the seventh.
On a floor or in bed, do Bridge Pose 10x
On a floor, do Cat and Cow Pose. If you can't be on your knees, you can sit in a chair and do the same motion. 10x
On a floor, do Bird Dog. If you can't be on your knees, stand and lift alternate knees. If balance is an issue, you can have a hand on a chair. 10x
Standing tall, lift your right leg to the side 10x. Lift left leg 10x
Sit and Stand 10x. As you get used to it, you can pick up the pace.
If you need more guidance, write me at andrea@mighty.fit. Better yet, join the Mighty Fit Community