How to Cope With the Effects of Age

Jeanick Brisswalter and his colleagues at the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis and the French National Institute of Sport report study results that suggest that older athlete’s benefit disproportionately from strength training compared to younger athletes. It’s reported by a consensus of researchers that it is normal to lose about 1% to 2%  of muscle mass and therefore strength per year as we age (Think past 30 years of age Personal experience that this accelerates rather substantially after age 64. This obviously will vary for those with different genetic backgrounds and training habits.) The need for strength training grows as we age.

The type of work we do to retain muscle mass, strength and power is as variable as our environment. You can do it in a well equipped gym, alone or in a social group, or you can custom design a strength workout using whatever you find in your environment to lift push and pull to your hearts content. The point is this: the content of your work can vary infinitely within the confines of strength training parameters but it should be a larger and larger component of your training routine as you age.  I’m thinking about 30% max of total work for those 65 and older should be devoted to this type of work.

It is a long held principle and observation of cardio training that it does not produce much in the way of strength, or muscle mass. People generally associate being in shape with cardio type training. Oftentimes, especially with older subjects, dull work on treadmills and stationary cycles is the work of choice and recommendation. Why things like walking and stair climbing, that take advantage of natural equipment in the environment, get left out I would not venture to guess. You don’t suppose it’s a financial and control issue, do you? They can obviously be mixed liberally. Obviously, the more work that is simply put into simple environmental tasks like stair climbing and walking, the less control trainers will have on the amount and quality of work. Workouts can be as simple as climbing a set of stairs three times once every hour of the day or a set number of times. They could also consist of a brisk walk with the dog or a loved one (That gets the loved one, spouse child or parent exercising as well.).

 The bottom line is you need to move more if you have been living a sedentary lifestyle. You can do mostly “natural” activities as pointed out above but keep in mind, as you get older, that some of those activities must be directed toward strength training. The types of activities you select are as varied as the number of people selecting them and may vary from gardening to other yard work to working out in a gym. Cost is up to you. What counts is how much activity and regularity. If planned activity is not a high priority part of your weekly routine, you’re probably just kidding yourself.