Strong muscles are good life insurance. Aging “strongly” is known to – beyond physical appearance – ensure better and healthier aging. However, low muscle mass has been linked to higher mortality, as demonstrated by a study in the journal Nature conducted on people over 90 years old.
It is increasingly common to see different age groups mixing in the gym or in a functional training or fitness class. crossfit. And it is becoming clear that strength training is essential to staying healthy longer and having a better quality of life. Also women, whose bone health begins to deteriorate after perimenopause.
We are not saying that swimming, walking, running or doing aerobic exercises are not important. Of course, it is about maintaining a healthy heart and lungs. But that is not enough and, to be complete, a complete workout must include strength.
Therefore, if you are over 50 and have not yet started working out, know that all is not lost and that – as they say – better late than never and it is never too late if happiness is good. Also, if you have already done sports but had to take a break, you are lucky: your muscles have memory and are very grateful for stimuli.
And when they say it’s never too late, it’s never too late. It will cost more to gain muscle mass, but it’s not impossible. That’s according to a study of people aged 86 to 96 who trained with weights for two months. During that time, their thigh muscle mass increased by 10% and their strength doubled.
Contraindications to a sedentary lifestyle
Of course, stop wasting time and arm yourself with the will to overcome laziness and save time thanks to sarcopenia, which is what the loss of muscle mass we suffer over the years if we do not exercise enough is called.
The most obvious consequences are loss of balance and strength and, in the long term, difficulty moving, walking and carrying out our daily tasks. But they are not the only ones. Osteoporosis is another risk of weak muscle mass, which will make us more likely to face a fall and allow us to suffer fractures more easily. As well as cardiovascular or metabolic diseases. To avoid this, strength training exercises are essential.
In 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) added strength training (with weights or our own body weight) as a physical activity recommendation for good health. According to WHO, this type of training begins to be effective after two days a week. The recommendation is for people of all ages, including the over-65 age group.
If you are already convinced of the importance of training, but you don’t know where to start because even climbing a few stairs costs you your life, we give you some recommendations:
- You can opt for a gym and try your hand at their weight room, where you will find machines designed to exercise each muscle group. We recommend that you have the advice of a personal trainer at least at the beginning, who can help you organize a routine by muscle groups or whole body –in which the whole body is worked in each session–.
- Another option is to join a functional training group, in which you will train with weights such as dumbbells or kettlebells or kettlebell, elastic bands or your own body. These are very complete and dynamic workouts, in which mobility and stretching are also worked on, and they are usually combined with aerobic exercises.
- Do not exclude other types of physical activities that can also be very beneficial for maintaining our muscle mass, such as Pilates or yoga, which also work on our flexibility.
- In any case, don’t be in a hurry: adjust the load and intensity of the weights you use or the movements you perform according to your comfort and gain confidence and rhythm in training.
Consult your doctor or physiotherapist
Of course, the goal is not to become bodybuilders overnight, nor the most flexible yogi. Each person must try what suits them best. And if it is the first time we are going to do physical exercise or we have a pathology, the medical advice or the opinion of our physiotherapist is very important.
The National Strength and Conditioning Association recommends two to three days of strength training per week for older adults. This frequency will be sufficient to maintain healthy bones and muscles. They also recommend a rest of one to two minutes between sets, which can be extended to five if we find that we need more time to regain strength. Especially for those over 60, it is advisable to allow a rest period of between 24 and 48 hours between sessions.
Doing sports will help you in your daily life, when you go shopping and have to carry the supermarket bags, take care of your children or grandchildren or take long walks with your dog. It will give you energy. And although it may seem paradoxical, you will arrive less tired at the end of the day and less stressed, exercise is also associated with an improvement in our mood and well-being. As you can see, there are all the benefits.
