Strength Training for Older Adults - What to Expect

Leonard D. Therry, Personal Training Certification from ACE, AFAA, AFPA, and NSCA
September 17, 2004

Introduction

Many older adults have a negative attitude toward strength training. Some may remember a time when weight lifting exercises were seen as being only for body builders and when athletic coaches strongly discouraged their athletes from lifting weights, believing it would make them slow, too bulky and inflexible. Many older Americans are just now becoming aware of how much this attitude has changed over time.

Members of the medical and general health care community have now accepted and endorsed the value of safe and effective weight lifting exercises as one of the best preventative medicines available.

The Benefits You Can Expect

What are the benefits one can expect from resistance and cardiovascular training, particularly as this applies to the older population?

• Reducing the risk of coronary heart disease and improving post-MI performance.
• Reducing the risk of metabolic disorders such as diabetes.
• Reducing the risk of high blood pressure and its accompanying health threats.
• Improving blood lipid levels, reducing the risks of unhealthy levels.
• Building and recovering lost muscle mass and strength.
• Reducing body fat and improving overall body composition.
• Increasing metabolism to assist in maintaining a healthy balance.
• Decreasing lower back pain by strengthening musculature.
• Relieving the pain of arthritis by promoting greater flexibility.
• Preventing osteoporosis by using weight lifting exercises to improve bone density.
• Reducing the risk of colon cancer by promoting rapid transit of body waste through the gastrointestinal system.
• Boosting self confidence, improving appearance and lessening depression.

A benefit not often recognized is a reduced threat of falling as ankle joints are stabilized and thigh musculature is increased. The most common injury among senior walk-ins at hospital emergency departments is hip or knee injury resulting from a fall, often the consequence of poor balance and loss of leg strength.

Aging, in modern analysis, is determined by capacity for function and not simply by counting years.

The simple reality is that unless we exercise our muscles properly, we will lose 5 to 7 pounds of muscle tissue each decade of adult life. This is further worsened by an equal or greater gain of fat tissue as our metabolism slows and physical activities decline. This combination of muscle loss and fat gain can be devastating over time, leading to impairment and ultimately loss of function and disability. Being overweight (or obese), when combined with other risk factors, increases the danger of serious illness and disease, and directly impacts mortality.

The Need for Change

The senior population can gain strength at approximately the same rate as younger people. Increases in strength as much as 40% have been documented for persons as old as 96. Some studies suggest that as little as 3 or 4 months of proper training can reverse as much as 30 years of decline in function.

What Kind of Exercise?

So, just what kind of exercise and how much of it is recommended for benefits? According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), training should include workouts of 30 to 60 minutes of moderate weight lifting exercises, at least twice a week, on non-consecutive days (at least one day of recovery between sessions.) Exercise of all major muscle groups should be done using a protocol of 10 to 15 "repetitions", 1 or (later) 2 "sets", at a level of "moderate intensity" (about 70% of the amount of weight one can lift for a single effort; less for those who are severely deconditioned). This routine has been known to produce safe and effective results when the approach is done "progressively" (gradually increasing weight and modifying the number of repetitions as the individual gets stronger over time). This is best done under competent supervision since improper form and excessive intensity can produce injury and cessation of exercise.

Some form of cardiovascular conditioning should also be incorporated, either within that workout or on alternate days. This can consist of moderate pace walking or jogging, indoor or outdoor cycling, treadmill, or other cardio work that gets one's heart rate up to a training level.

Risks Involved in Training?

What are the risks involved in weight lifting exercises? As in all forms of human movement under load, there is some risk attached to exercise. You should not embark on such a program without direct consultation with your physician for his approval and possible input into the program. Such exercise is medically prohibited for some people. Some conditions, including diabetes and coronary heart disease, may require the physician to conduct a General Exercise Test (GXT) on a treadmill or stationary bicycle, while monitoring blood pressure, heart rate and carefully observing the trainee's demeanor. While a Personal Trainer, if properly prepared, can employ some sub-maximal testing to evaluate and assess the prospective trainee, all maximal testing should be done under the direct supervision of a physician, as such highly demanding testing does involve some additional risk.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there is every common-sense reason to make a decision to embark upon a journey to health and fitness, and no valid reason not to do so, other than it is deemed medically inadvisable. We make allowances for expenditure of time and resources to take care of ourselves in other ways and there is even more reason to do so in taking care of this wonderful machine we have been given: our body. And in so doing, make weight-lifting exercises a part of your routine.

Leonard D. Therry is a freelance writer on older adult fitness, specializing in training of seniors and is owner/operator of Len's Home Fitness Studio, Inc., located within his residence in Ocean Pines, Maryland. He is certified as Personal Trainer by ACE, AFAA, AIFE, AFPA, and NSCA-CPT. He holds a certificate as Senior Personal Trainer from SFA, and certifications in Strength Training for Older Adults from AFPA, and AIFE. He is a Star 3 Level Spinning Instructor and Schwinn Fitness Academy Indoor Cycling Coach. He writes a weekly column on adult health and fitness in the local press in the Ocean Pines area. For consultations he can be reached at (410) 208-9773.

Source

• Website accessed 9/11/04 at: http://www.afpafitness.com/articles/StrengthOlderAdults.htm

Related Links
Start Getting Fit When You're Young - Here's Why!
Shopping for Longevity - Final Thoughts
Exercise Can Extend Older Women's Lives

Please take a moment to give us your comments. For questions about Health matters you may check our "Questions & Answers" Portal and Service.