One of the often unmentioned health care facts for seniors is that fact that there are weight training benefits for people over 60. The reason is that maintaining muscle mass and strength is of increasing importance as people get older.

Over 60 Weight Training Benefits

An article in WebMD relates a recent study that examined the benefits of weight training for people over 60. The study concluded that weight training for seniors had benefits that not only included increased muscle mass, but also “increased aerobic capacity, better fatty acid metabolism, and improved bone and joint health.”

The study examined two groups of people, one aged 60 to 75 and another aged 20 to 35. Both groups underwent a program of resistance training for four months which included a course of knee extensions, leg presses, and squats three times a week. At the end of the four months each group had gained muscle mass.

Then the participants were randomly divided into three groups, one that did no exercise at all, one that did the same exercise as before but just one day a week, and the third that reduced their regime of exercises to one set one day a week. At the end of 32 weeks, the differences between the old and the young participants were said to be striking. The young participants who continued to exercise at a reduced level lost little or no muscle mass. The older participants, on the other hand, loss muscle mass, through they maintained much of their strength.

The conclusion was that resistance training needed to be maintained indefinitely for older people just to maintain muscle mass. This can be most effectively done under the supervision of a trained and experienced personal trainer familiar with the exercise needs of older adults.

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One unfortunate fact about growing older is that nothing works as well as it used to. It takes longer to do a lot of things, and your days of gleefully doing cartwheels and somersaults on the front lawn are long over. In fact, for many older Americans, just going for a daily walk or puttering around the house can be painful on the knees.

Knee Arthritis Pain is Common

For many people – even seasoned athletes in their 30s and 40s – knee pain due to cartilage degeneration is caused by a lack of strength in the quadriceps muscles. Since the quads control movement of the kneecap in the groove where it sits above the femur, weakness in the quads can cause the kneecap to start moving off-track, hitting and pinching the cartilage on the femur and wearing it down over time. This wearing-down or degenerative process is largely responsible for knee arthritis pain.

If you suffer from knee arthritis, know that there is more you can do about it than take anti-inflammatory medications and go in for surgical procedures which, due to the long recovery period, may limit your mobility even further in the long run. Even if you have suffered with arthritis pain for many years, weight training exercises for mobility can strengthen the quads, essentially lifting your kneecaps back up into place and away from the pinched cartilage that is causing your knee pain. Recommended exercises for beginners include leg press and quad extension exercises performed at a gym or other fitness center. Done faithfully under the guidance of a trained professional, these exercises will help to reduce pain and restore function in your lower extremities.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is very effective in treating both chronic knee pain from arthritis and acute knee pain from strains, impacts and strains.  Click to learn more about acupuncture and acupuncture for knee pain.

Joe at Fort Lauderdale Personal Training is committed to helping seniors in Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding areas to maintain strength through functional movement exercises and active recovery from acute and chronic orthopedic conditions. For more information on how we can help you live the happiest, healthiest, fullest life possible, contact today.

Times have changed, and 40 isn’t “old” anymore; in fact, when you’re over 40, fitness is essential to staying healthy.

The three main components of staying fit at any age are cardiovascular (aerobic) exercise, strength training, and maintaining a healthy diet. For example, because we lose muscle mass as we get older, it’s important to eat enough protein to combat this. Osteoporosis is another concern as we age; not only is it important to get enough calcium, regular weight-bearing exercises can help slow loss of bone density. As we age, flexibility decreases, so it’s important to continue to stretch on a regular basis. Our metabolism slows, making weight loss more of a challenge.

If you’re returning to exercise after an extended time off, it’s important to start slowly in order to avoid injury. As we get older, not only do we become more prone to injury, those injuries take longer to heal. Talk to your doctor to prior to beginning any exercise program.

Working with a personal trainer is a great option for staying fit. Your personal trainer will have the experience and knowledge needed to adapt your workout to your strengths and weaknesses. Your trainer can help keep you from injuring yourself by making sure you use good form and don’t push yourself too hard.

Once you get in shape, maintenance is the next step; it’s important to keep exercising regularly. Setting goals is one important step towards fitness. Keeping those goals is another. As you set your fitness goals, it’s important to make sure they’re realistic. Our bodies change as we age, and what was easily attainable at 20 may less so at 40. Motivate yourself to keep working on your goals by celebrating your successes, and give yourself added accountability by working out with a friend or trainer.

Contact us to learn more how Joe Kozma, a top personal trainer in Fort Lauderdale, can help you in developing your fitness and nutrition plan to stay healthy at over 40.