Strength Training for Seniors

Weight training for seniors does not have to be done with traditional barbells and dumbbells.  Strength training for seniors can include many forms of resistance, all of which will stimulate the muscle to have increased tone and strength.   Some of the best exercises for seniors are body-weight exercises or calisthenics. 

Who is considered a “senior”?

While most people think of “seniors” as old people, I do not.  I am in my late 50s and I use the same protocol on myself with weight training over 50 as I do for my more mature clientele.  My goals are to maintain my muscle tone, balance, and high quality of life, as well as to live as pain-free as possible.  All of this adds up to INDEPENDENCE in the final chapters of life!  So in my late 50s, I look at what my strength training program needs to be so that I can be at my best in 20-30 years. 

Losing Muscle Mass

One of the biggest concerns is the loss of muscle mass.  Many will say losing muscle and gaining fat is the biggest concern, and this often does go hand-in-hand.  Losing muscle mass is a natural part of the aging process, but it becomes more noticeable after 40 and beyond.  As you get older, the loss of muscle equates to less and less strength to perform activities of daily life.  Losing muscle mass in your legs, for example, can make it difficult or impossible to get on the floor to play with grandchildren, to get out of the bathtub, or to carry your groceries up a few stairs.  As this progresses, it leads to fewer activities, and this leads to more loss of muscle mass.  “Use it or lose it”, is the quote that comes to mind!

Losing muscle and gaining fat…

How does this happen? For one, you are less active which means you are burning fewer calories each day.  And secondly, because you are losing muscle mass your metabolism drops to near zero, and you simply do not need as many calories each day.  This is a double whammy!  Unless you make appropriate adjustments to your eating and exercise habits, you will get fatter and weaker at the same time.  And this leads to less and less independence, which is something most seniors desperately want to maintain.

Strength training will slow, or even replace the loss of muscle mass. I promise you this.

Best Form of Exercise for Seniors

Strength training is the best form of exercise for the aging population.  Maintaining strength is crucial for independence, as I have already mentioned, but it is also the best thing you can do for your bone density.  In fact, weight training is one of the best forms of exercise to fend off osteoporosis.  Many strength training exercises for seniors can be done in a chair if needed.

Cardiovascular exercise is great for people of all ages.  A healthy heart and a nice set of lungs are especially important for seniors.  This type of exercise can be done on equipment such as a treadmill or rowing machine, but can also be performed outside with a bicycle or walking program.  Cardiovascular exercise is any exercise that gets your heart rate up and has you breathing a little harder.

Balance exercises are always included in my programs for anybody over the age of 50, especially seniors.  This is another aspect of life that diminishes as we age, so dedicating time and energy to this is time well spent.  I usually include balance into strength training exercises for seniors, and this helps you kill two birds with one stone.

Example of balance exercise…

The balance exercise seen here is weight bearing, which makes it great for preventing osteoporosis. Falling down however is not good for osteoporosis. You should consider having something to hold onto in the event you lose your balance. Challenge yourself but do not crash and burn!

Exercise Safety for Seniors

When choosing the type of exercises the mature population should perform, safety is one of the biggest concerns.  As with any activity, you can get injured, and when you are over 50 it takes weeks or months to heal compared to what seems like 2 hours for the 20 year-old to bounce back.

There are different safety concerns for the different forms of exercise.  For example, if you are strength training, seniors can be more prone to rotator cuff injuries, so you need to be attentive to movements that can stress these tissues.  If you are talking about cardiovascular training…is riding a bike outside safely something you can do?  I know multiple seniors that took up bike riding on a popular bike trail, only to crash because their bike riding skills were incredibly rusty.  All you need is a family with kids to negotiate, and boom, you are on the ground.  With balance exercises, be sure you are in a place where you can safely regain your balance once you lose it.  And you will lose it, or else the exercises are not challenging enough!

For all of these reasons, I recommend having a professional get you started, then you can take over on your own. Or not, and visit the doc a few weeks down the road.

This article is about strength training, but I drifted off into other aspects of exercise.  Sorry…back to the topic at hand.

Types Strength Training

I love to see a large variety of exercises performed by seniors.  This keeps both the mind and the body fresh and avoids plateaus.  If you belong to a gym, you will have more equipment to work with, but at home, you can have a huge number of exercises with some of the most basic pieces of equipment.  Let's take a look at some of your options.

Weight machines

With strength training at a gym, seniors often feel safer on weight training machines.  They have padded seats and only let you move in a controlled way.  There is nothing wrong with this, but this is not a real-life situation.  When you are at home trying to lift a case of water out of your car, you are not on a padded seat with cushy handles!

Free weights

I recommend using the weight machines seen above, but also include some traditional dumbbell and barbell exercises or what is called “free weights”.  This is a more “functional” form of exercise and will have greater carry-over into your daily life.  These exercises require balance and coordination from multiple muscle groups, and this is fantastic. 

Rubber Bands

Rubber bands (with handles) are another good form of strength training and are perfect for the home. These can offer more versatility which is great. I view exercises as tools and the more tools in your toolbox, the better off you are. So rubber bands with handles are a great addition. They are inexpensive, safe is properly used, and take up minimal space.

A great exercise for rounded shoulders!

Keep your hands at shoulder level with elbows slightly bent and pull the band out wide. This is often done incorrectly, and can lead to the wrong muscle group getting worked, or worse yet, an irritation of soft tissue.

Body weight or calisthenic exercise

Body weight exercises or calisthenics cannot be ignored.  These can be incredible if properly executed.  Jack LaLanne was the master and nobody can argue with the results he had from this form of exercise.  Again, you need to set this up properly.  Perform squats incorrectly, and you will have sore knees.  Bend at the waist with incorrect form and you will have back issues guaranteed.  Be sure that you are educated in proper form, even with the simplest of movements, because an irritation or injury will set you back for weeks or months.    

Seniors Start Smarter. Right?

I think it is my physical therapy background that puts me on my soapbox about injuries caused by strength training with seniors.  While this is the most important form of exercise, I often see men who pick up the exercises they did when “playing ball” in high school.  Not only was this 50+ years ago, but it was guided by a coach that was also the history teacher and knew nothing about rotator cuffs, arthritis, or bad backs.  Ladies, you can be just as guilty, so don’t think I am letting you off.

Get yourself set up on a properly established program by a professional, and then execute this 2-3X per week.  If you are at the proper intensity, you will see tremendous results.  You will gain muscle tone and strength, and this will boost your metabolism which will help you burn more fat.  You will see your activities of daily living become easier, leading to a higher quality of life.  But most importantly you will not be dependent on others.  Independence is a horrible thing to lose.