By Steven Cline
Woody Allen’s famous line, “Everything our parents said was good is bad: sun, milk, red meat, college,” is only part of the story. Some things considered good for a select few are, in fact, good for everyone. Take strength training. From trimming your waistline to keeping bones healthy, strength training can benefit children, adults and seniors.
Forever Young
It’s easy to think that young people are active enough on their own. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children and young adults are becoming less active. Almost half of young people ages 12 to 21 are not active on a regular basis, and activity declines significantly with age during adolescence. Teen obesity and poor fitness can lead to health problems.
Strength training is great for kids because it builds lean muscle, lowers body fat and creates stronger bones to last a lifetime. Jorge Carvajal, C.S.C.S., a National Strength and Conditioning Association certified strength coach, says that it can also help develop the neuromuscular system, which affects coordination and agility. These skills are important to develop during the preteen years. However, weight training with heavy weights may damage growth plates (the part of a bone where growth occurs). Growth plates generally close at about age 14 in girls and age 16 in boys. With supervision, preteens can lift light weights safely. But for younger kids, Carvajal prefers calisthenics, which uses body weight to work muscles, and strength-building exercise such as swimming or gymnastics.
Use It or Lose It
As we age, we often get hit with a double whammy that changes our body makeup. We may lose up to 10 percent of our lean muscle mass every 10 years after age 30. Combined with a slowing metabolism and no major change in diet, we become less lean and more “doughy” over time. Strength training can help build and maintain muscle. And since muscle cells are more active than fat cells, metabolism gets a boost as well. This means that the body burns more calories while at rest. And though strength training might not turn you into a star athlete, it can help make you firmer and stronger than you were when you started.
More important than improving your physical appearance, strength training may help improve your long-term health. Lifting weights can help lower cholesterol (a key factor in coronary heart disease), help lower blood pressure (which lowers the risk for heart attack and stroke) and improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity (to help control or lower the risk for diabetes). Strength training can even affect mental health. A Harvard University study found that 10 weeks of strength training lessened clinical depression symptoms more than standard counseling alone.
As with any new exercise routine, talk with your doctor before you lift weights or use resistance machines. Find a professional trainer or coach to teach you proper technique, especially if you are using free-weights. By doing half-hour sessions two to three times per week, you should notice a difference in four to six weeks.
Never Too Late
Perhaps no group can benefit more from strength training than seniors. One study found that a high-intensity strength training program in a nursing home could increase seniors’ strength by an average of 174 percent. And yet only 1 in 20 older men — and even fewer women — does any form of strength training. Aside from increasing strength, lifting weights can help older adults ward off osteoporosis and improve balance. Because strength training helps build stronger bones, it helps older men and women lower their osteoporosis risk. In addition, stronger and more resilient muscles help improve balance, which means fewer falls or accidents. More than 1 in 4 people ages 60 and older fall one or more times each year, and falls are a leading cause of death in people over age 65.
Some seniors may be intimidated by strength training. But Carvajal knows how important it is to overcome this feeling. “I have seen over the years how people have changed and how much better they feel after strength training,’’ he says. “It really can help improve the quality of a person’s life.’’
Getting Started
Here are some things to keep in mind as you begin strength training.
- Free-weights vs. machines: Free-weights are more versatile, but they are more likely to cause injury if used improperly. Machines help control movement and can help novice exercisers avoid injury.
- Work with a trainer: Learn proper form from a trained professional. Using weights properly is more important than how much weight you lift. Use a spotter (a person who is there to assist you if you need help) if you lift heavy free-weights.
- Sets and reps: A set is a designated number of repetitions of an exercise. For each exercise, aim for one or two sets of eight to 10 reps.
- Set goals: For endurance, do several sets with low to moderate weights. For power, do fewer reps and sets with heavier weights.
- Warm up: Always stretch and warm up the muscle group you are going to work before lifting.
- Breathe: Always exhale with the effort (as you lift the weight).
- Work big to small: Work large muscle groups (legs, chest, back) before smaller ones (shoulders, arms).
- Work opposing muscles: Always strengthen opposing muscle groups in the same workout. (For instance, work biceps and triceps, and work hamstrings and quadriceps.)
- Recover: Muscles need about 48 hours to recover fully. At most, work the same muscle groups every other day.
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