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 How to Workout as You Get Older
The short answer is that you should focus on resistance exercises. You should also include cardio and stretching. However, resistance exercise should be the main part of your workout program. Resistance exercise forces your muscles to work against significant resisting forces. Weightlifting is the most popular and accommodating type of resistance exercise.
Here is why:
Resistance exercise protects against age-related muscle loss.As people age, they tend to lose muscle. It will make them weaker. It will also slow their metabolism because their lean mass partly determines their resting metabolic rate. Resistance exercise helps to protect from this. Also, many of the elderly die from falls. Strength (especially in the lower body) can help to prevent this. Lower body strength has a positive effect on longevity. In Sardinia, they found that the steeper the terrain, the longer the people lived on average. It is because they develop lower body strength. Resistance exercise helps with this. Resistance exercise protects you against bone loss. Olympic weightlifters, powerlifters, and bodybuilders have the greatest bone mass densities on average. This is because weightlifting increases bone mass density. It helps to prevent the bone loss that often happens in old age. Resistance exercise destroys senescent cells. As we age senescent cells accumulate in our bodies. Senescent cells are old cells that don't multiply but don't die off when they should. Instead, they release chemicals that can damage healthy cells. They increase the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and other age-related diseases. Resistance exercise destroys senescent cells in the muscle for up to 48 hours after the exercise. It also suppresses the formation of more senescent cells. Here is how:
Work on stability before strength.Safety is crucial to any good workout program. A big part of safety is stability, especially around the midsection (core). You also need stability throughout your entire body. Stability lets you keep control of your body throughout all movements. It also allows you to use good form and reduces your risk of injury. In any case, start with light weights until you master stability. If you are not sure, a qualified trainer can help. Emphasize core and lower body strength. Moving heavy weights usually transmits forces through your core and lower body. So, it helps to build strength in your midsection and legs. Many exercises can help with these. In some cases, even repeatedly standing up and sitting on a bench can help. With that said, we should still strengthen the entire body. Stretch often. Stretching improves your flexibility and reduces your risk of injury. We all know this, but many people forget to stretch anyway. Stretching after your workout is ideal because your muscles will be warm. But if you can't do that, then stretching between sets or before your workout is better than not stretching at all. Give yourself plenty of time to recover. Workouts provide the stimulus for your body to improve. Recovery time allows your body to do so. So, your rest days are as important as your workout days. Other articles |
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