5 Strength Training Tips for Older Adults

Strength workouts for seniors does some fundamental things: it preserves bone density and muscle strength, and improves balance and flexibility, all which help to maintain daily living independence. Regardless of your level of age, gender or fitness, strength training benefits everyone.

 Bone Density

Osteoporosis in older adults is a major cause of frailty and can affect quality of life, especially after a fall resulting in a broken bone. For reasons not yet fully understood, but supported by several study results, strength training not only increases muscle strength and mass, but also increases and strengthens bones bone density.

Muscle Strength

Weight or resistance training not only prevents further muscle mass depletion, but it actually boosts the strength of the muscles by toning them up; it can even build back some muscle mass lost over the years through aging. Tone muscles make you look younger and feel better about yourself.

Balance

 With falling as a major source of injury and broken bones among seniors, it is important to do what you can to maintain or improve balance. Strength training helps build and tone the abdominal core and back muscles, thus giving your spine more support. By keeping your posture more upright, your weight more centered over your spine and you are less likely to lose your balance and fall. Supplement strength training with exercises that transfer weight back and forth, such as walking or using an elliptical trainer. 

Tip! Do not equate a workout with calories burned. A lot of people make the mistake of deciding that just because they had a workout, that means they can add on a few extra servings or eat that fattening desert.

Flexibility

Increasing the range-of-motion of a joint also help with balance. To improve flexibility, focus strength training efforts on exercises that work a joint through its full range. Yoga is an excellent exercise program for doing this.

Tip! No matter which type of workout you choose to do, you need to stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water before, during and after exercise helps to replace fluids that are lost during your workout.

The Value of Stretching

Dynamic stretching before strength training helps warm up and loosen joint muscles. Because muscle fibers tend to shorten during a workout, static stretching after exercising works to cool down and return the muscle fibers back to their normal length thus helping reduce the risk of injury and soreness.

While dynamic stretching works the muscle back and forth through its range of motion, static stretching extends a muscle out to its maximum range and holds it in that position for a short amount of time.

Tip! Before you begin your exercise routine, warm up your brain. It is just as important to get your central nervous system ready for activity, as it is to prepare your muscles.

Exercises that help build bone density, muscle strength and improve balance and flexibility not only include those that use just body weight, but also ones that use light free weights, resistance bands or weight machines.

As with any other exercise program, be sure to consult your healthcare practitioner before starting an exercise program. They can recommend a program according to your abilities. A properly designed program should help you, not hurt you.

Tip! If you enjoy watching television, try adding a little workout to your TV watching. Watching TV while working out may help you forget that you are working out, which will increase the length of your workout.

Strength training helps build and tone the abdominal core and back muscles, thus giving your spine more support. Supplement strength training with exercises that transfer weight back and forth, such as walking or using an elliptical trainer.

To enhance flexibility, focus strength training efforts on exercises that work a joint through its full range. As with any other exercise program, be sure to consult your healthcare practitioner before starting an exercise program.