Will Strength Training Combat the Effects of Aging?

What Happens as You Age?

As you age you are more susceptible to weight gain in unflattering body parts that is difficult, and for most people, virtually impossible to get rid of. Of even more concern is the continual reduction in muscle mass (sarcopenia) leading to frailty and mobility issues. It is said that you are most likely to succumb to death from a “fall” rather than from a disease.

How to Counteract Frailty?

One easy way that you can mitigate the loss in muscle mass is through exercise, specifically, strength training exercises. You can increase muscle mass and sculpt gorgeous muscles at any age! An inspiring bodybuilder who demonstrated this is Josefina Monasterio. She started bodybuilding at age 59, and has competed professionally since.

Benefits of Strength Training

Apart from mitigating frailty, strength training exercises also lowers the risk of osteoporosis. It has also been shown to lower the risk of chronic diseases such as arthritis, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

Strength training exercises have also been shown to help you sleep better and to reduce the depression.

What Type of Strength Training?

It is best to follow a program that is already setup to accomplish your goal. If you have a gym membership, you can work with a personal trainer to design an exercise plan, a nutrition plan that supports muscle building, and to show you how to correctly complete the exercises.

There are numerous quality programs that you can stream at home, and that will help you build muscle with a range of dumbbells, and an adjustable bench. A great space saver is to invest in adjustable dumbbells like the one featured above. I would also highly recommend FitPlan as they also have inspiring older trainers to choose from.

You can also choose a comprehensive program such as Lean Building by Jill Coleman. This 12 Week Muscle Building Program For Women Who Want To Add More Curves, Definition And Athleticism To Their Physiques. It is a twelve week program that is laid out for you, with detailed instructions, and requires a five day per week commitment. It can be accessed by clicking here.

Nutrition is Key

You cannot build muscles with just strength training exercises. Nutrition, and sleep, are more important than any training that you can engage in. Before you start training, it is imperative that you fix your nutrition, and sleeping habits otherwise you will be doing your body a huge disservice as it needs sleep and food to recover.

If you normally feel tired when you wake up in the mornings, I would urge you to invest in a device that tracks your sleep such as the Fitbit. This particular Fitbit also has a built in GPS, Heart Rate Monitor, and Workout Tracking.

If you are a home cook, you may meal prep, so your meals are ready to be eaten when you are hungry. You naturally will eat more often as your new muscles will demand more fuel, i.e. food. If you do not cook, arrange to have your meals delivered ahead of time.

Review and Revise Your Plan

If you are working with a trainer, he/she will continually evaluate your plan and readjust to ensure you reach your goal. But if you decide to use an online App or other program (that do not offer this service), you will have to remember this crucial step and become savvy enough to tweak your plan when you are not getting the results you want.