Seniors and Strength Training

Seniors and Strength Training.  If you’re interested in feeling stronger, healthier, and more vital, this program is for you. This strength-training program was developed by experts at Tufts University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The common perception of the elderly is that they become weak and fragile due to an age induced muscle wasting. The clinical term for this condition is sarcopenia, and it has been shown to contribute to the reduction in muscle mass and strength associated with
aging. However, studies involving injury and disuse have clearly demonstrated that inactivity can also induce muscle wasting, and is a major factor in the loss of muscle mass.

A common characteristic of muscle from sedentary elderly subjects is a phenomenon called fiber type grouping. Muscles of young and middle-aged subjects contain a mix of fibers types, and therefore have a checkerboard appearance. In untrained elderly subjects clumps of muscle fibers have been observed and consist of predominantly slow twitch or type I fibers. This type of muscle fiber distribution has also been shown in patients with certain
neural diseases and it has been suggested that re-innervation is responsible for the effect.  The basic theory states that fast twitch motor neurons, which are connected to type II muscle fibers, atrophy and die by a process called apoptosis when they are not recruited over long periods of time. Therefore, extended periods of inactivity and a decrease in the recruitment of fast muscle fibers in the elderly may contribute to the apoptosis.

Your bones are alive and always changing according to the stress placed upon them. Without stress the effects of osteoporosis are accelerated with deterioration of the skeletal material.  Weight bearing activities are the key to keeping broken bones at bay. For the lower body to prevent weak ankles, hips and  pelvis. For the upper body to strengthen wrists, arms and ribs.

Warm up with ten minutes of aerobic exercise. This can be with treadmill walking or jogging, stationary bicycle, cross-trainer or stepper machines. Extend this to thirty minutes depending on requirements for fat loss. In any case, It is recommended that you perform at least 30 minutes of cardio exercise at moderate intensity three times each week for all weight trainers in order to promote aerobic fitness. It need not be done at the same time as the weights session.

If you have little experience of weight training and free weights, you may wish to start with the machine leg press instead of the squat, especially if you’re not accompanied by a trainer, helper or spotter.

The rest period between sets is variable according to your goals. For strength rather than muscle size (hypertrophy), longer rests are required – preferably about two minutes or more. For hypertrophy and elements of muscle endurance, shorter rest usually works best – around 45-90 seconds. Considering that this program is designed for a combination of strength and muscle building, you will rest for one minute if possible. Longer rests between sets are sometimes problematic in busy gyms but a longer interval than one minute is fine if that’s what you require to continue.