Strength Training for Seniors

You don't have to be a fitness guru like Jack LaLanne to benefit from strength training - and never say you're too old to work those muscles.

Strength training is just what older bodies, even very old or frail ones, need to fight the loss of muscle mass and strength, according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). The ACSM believes that strength training is the most important exercise for older adults who aren't fit, and that it should come before aerobic activity, not afterward, as is typically the case.

"Before one can walk, it is necessary to be able to get out of a chair (requiring muscle power) and maintain an erect posture while moving through space (requiring balance)," notes the ACSM's guidelines on exercise and physical activity for older adults.

For all older adults - not just the frail elderly - a regular program of strengthening, combined with aerobic exercises, can help reduce or prevent many functional declines associated with growing older, according to the ACSM.

Multiple benefits

In the same way that taking a once-a-day vitamin is beneficial, lifting weights and other kinds of strength training provide multiple benefits, according to the findings of many studies over the past several years. Here are the 10 top reasons to get started on a resistance strength-training program:

1. To build muscle strength. Adults lose between five and seven pounds of muscle every decade after age 20. Only strength training prevents muscle loss.

2. To improve functional strength and flexibility. This is important because it can help keep you safe in your daily activities and make you less vulnerable to falls or other injuries.

3. To increase bone mass and density. Weight-bearing and resistance exercises can help protect against osteoporosis, a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break.

4. To lower body fat. Research in strength training has demonstrated a four-pound fat loss after three months of training, even though study participants increased their daily caloric intake by 15 percent, according to the American Fitness Professionals Association.

5. To reduce resting blood pressure. Strength training reduces resting blood pressure.

6. To reduce low back pain. Research has shown that strength training can increase low back strength and alleviate low back pain.

7. To reduce the pain of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Tufts University Diet and Nutrition Letter (1994) published a study on sensible strength training that reduced the pain of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

8. To reduce symptoms of other chronic diseases. Strength training can help to reduce the symptoms of depression, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and sleep disorders.

9. To enhance your personal appearance. Improving your strength and your physique can also be a plus for your self-confidence and self-esteem.

10. To improve your golf game. Believe it or not, strength training can improve golf performance by increasing club head speed and driving power. It can also help enhance other physical activities such as tennis and cycling.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends two or three days a week of strength training. As with any fitness program, be sure to talk to your doctor before getting started.

Also, whether you join a strength training program at a health club, YMCA, community center, nursing home or retirement community, make sure it is carefully supervised. And stay with it!

Sources:

The American College of Sports Medicine

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.