Strength Training for When You're Older
Many older people are put off by the idea of lifting weights, thinking it’s just for young people. They don’t realise the positive impact it will have on their health as they enter old age.
Strength training is vital for those over 50
It makes everyday activities easier and makes you feel younger for longer. The ability to walk, going up and down the stairs, getting off a chair, getting up off the floor, shopping, gardening, playing golf, and playing with the grandkids are all improved by strength training.
Lifting weights isn’t just about young people, bodybuilding, or lifting huge weights. Strength training has many benefits for older people, such as improving balance, mobility, and glucose control, increasing bone density, reducing back pain, and increasing strength and muscle mass. Strength training will improve your quality of life and help you stay independent for longer. when you're older. We need muscle strength to help us move as we want and go about all our daily tasks, whether it’s walking to the shops or getting up from a chair – in other words, being able to look after ourselves.
Muscle Mass
After age 30, you begin to lose as much as 3% to 5% muscle per decade. Most men will lose about 30% of their muscle mass during their lifetime. This causes simple physical tasks that they took for granted when they were younger, such as squatting, standing up, putting things overhead, carrying shopping bags, and playing with the grandkids, to become problems for older people. Not being strong enough is often the reason people lose the ability to do these tasks and be mobile. Normally, this happens because of inactivity. This isn’t a natural part of getting older that you can’t do anything about. Lifting weights will help maintain or increase your strength, muscle mass, and greatly improve your quality of life.
Bone Mass
Lifting weights helps keep your bones healthy. From about age 30, the density of bones begins to diminish. As a result, bones become more fragile and are more likely to break. Bone loss can lead to low bone density and eventually osteoporosis. This can lead to bone fractures, even with minimal trauma. Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become weak.
While it affects men, it is especially a problem for women as the loss of bone density speeds up in women after menopause, making osteoporosis common among older women. Broken bones can lead to a downward spiral of disability and loss of independence.
Strength training maximises the amount of bone you'll have and will slow down the loss of bone density as you age, and so reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
Bone Mass Balance and Coordination
Strength training and having more muscle mass will improve your balance and help prevent falls in old age.
Age 50–65: Approximately 21% of middle-aged adults experience a fall.
Age 65+: More than 25% to 33% (1 in 4 to 1 in 3) of older adults fall annually.
Age 80+: The risk jumps to roughly 50% (1 in 2) each year.
These falls often cause a loss of independence, increased fear of falling, and reduced mobility.
I have a 74-year-old client who started training with me as he was unable to squat down, pick things up off the floor, had poor posture, and struggled to walk far, so he had to give up golf. This was caused by being inactive, which resulted in a lack of strength and muscle mass.
Now his posture has improved, he can pick up a kettlebell off the floor, do trap bar deadlifts, and squat off a low box. All things he couldn't do before. Most importantly, it has made everyday tasks much easier.
Strength training is vital for those over 50
It makes everyday activities easier and makes you feel younger for longer. The ability to walk, going up and down the stairs, getting off a chair, getting up off the floor, shopping, gardening, playing golf, and playing with the grandkids are all improved by strength training.
Lifting weights isn’t just about young people, bodybuilding, or lifting huge weights. Strength training has many benefits for older people, such as improving balance, mobility, and glucose control, increasing bone density, reducing back pain, and increasing strength and muscle mass. Strength training will improve your quality of life and help you stay independent for longer. when you're older. We need muscle strength to help us move as we want and go about all our daily tasks, whether it’s walking to the shops or getting up from a chair – in other words, being able to look after ourselves.
Muscle Mass
After age 30, you begin to lose as much as 3% to 5% muscle per decade. Most men will lose about 30% of their muscle mass during their lifetime. This causes simple physical tasks that they took for granted when they were younger, such as squatting, standing up, putting things overhead, carrying shopping bags, and playing with the grandkids, to become problems for older people. Not being strong enough is often the reason people lose the ability to do these tasks and be mobile. Normally, this happens because of inactivity. This isn’t a natural part of getting older that you can’t do anything about. Lifting weights will help maintain or increase your strength, muscle mass, and greatly improve your quality of life.
Bone Mass
Lifting weights helps keep your bones healthy. From about age 30, the density of bones begins to diminish. As a result, bones become more fragile and are more likely to break. Bone loss can lead to low bone density and eventually osteoporosis. This can lead to bone fractures, even with minimal trauma. Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become weak.
While it affects men, it is especially a problem for women as the loss of bone density speeds up in women after menopause, making osteoporosis common among older women. Broken bones can lead to a downward spiral of disability and loss of independence.
Strength training maximises the amount of bone you'll have and will slow down the loss of bone density as you age, and so reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
Bone Mass Balance and Coordination
Strength training and having more muscle mass will improve your balance and help prevent falls in old age.
Age 50–65: Approximately 21% of middle-aged adults experience a fall.
Age 65+: More than 25% to 33% (1 in 4 to 1 in 3) of older adults fall annually.
Age 80+: The risk jumps to roughly 50% (1 in 2) each year.
These falls often cause a loss of independence, increased fear of falling, and reduced mobility.
I have a 74-year-old client who started training with me as he was unable to squat down, pick things up off the floor, had poor posture, and struggled to walk far, so he had to give up golf. This was caused by being inactive, which resulted in a lack of strength and muscle mass.
Now his posture has improved, he can pick up a kettlebell off the floor, do trap bar deadlifts, and squat off a low box. All things he couldn't do before. Most importantly, it has made everyday tasks much easier.
You can benefit from strength training at any age. While strength training is very safe for older people if you pick suitable exercises, use good form and appropriate weight, you can hurt yourself if you don't know what you're doing. If you're not experienced when it comes to training, it is a good idea to get help from someone who has experience helping older people progress and improve their quality of life.
If you’re unsure how to start, get in touch with me for 1-2-1 personal training. I’ll create a routine that’s tailored for your needs and will show you how and what you need to do.
If you’re unsure how to start, get in touch with me for 1-2-1 personal training. I’ll create a routine that’s tailored for your needs and will show you how and what you need to do.