Strength training, otherwise known as resistance training, can help older adults to preserve their independence and quality of life. It can overcome the loss of muscle mass and strength, build resilience, ease the management of chronic conditions, and reduce physical vulnerability.
Strength training is more than just weightlifting for athletes and gym junkies; it is an essential part of any health plan and is beneficial for everyone. It is a well known fact that regular exercise can protect from the effects of ageing. However, simply doing aerobic exercise like walking or riding a bike is not enough to preserve muscle tone.
Strength training can assist your health in many ways including,
- Maintain muscle tissue and strength
- Better balance and coordination, reducing the risk of falls
- Preserve bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis
- Improve sleep and reduce depression.
Maintaining one’s strength is of great importance as we age. However, the common trend is to do less as we age. In fact, around 4 out of 5 Australian adults don’t meet the recommended amount of strength training each week. This is often due to fear, confusion around strength training or other misconceptions.
The purpose of strength training is to counteract or delay age-related decline in muscle mass and the good news is it is never too late to get started.
At Northside Allied Health, our team of Exercise Physiologists are specially trained in being able to develop exercise programs for all individuals no matter what experience you may have or what injuries or conditions you may think will get in the way. We help people even in their 90s pick up a dumbbell for the first time to start improving their strength. For best results, it is always important to progress things slowly as a lot of injuries that may occur from strength training usually comes from doing too much too soon, after doing too little for too long.
An Exercise Physiologist can help with steering you in the right direction with your strength program by tailoring the right exercises to your needs and providing you support throughout your program to ensure you maximise your benefits.