Strength Training for Older Adults (65+)

If you are over 65, you have probably heard that you should be doing some strength training. But what does that mean? What should you be doing, how often should you be doing it, and how do you choose a strength coach?

This article aims to explain what strength training actually is, the benefits associated with a structured and progressive strength training program for adults over 65 years, and what you should look for when choosing a strength coach and/or a strength training program.

 

What is Strength Training?

Before we define strength training, it is helpful to define strength. Strength is, in the simplest terms, the ability to produce force against an external resistance, such as an object. If strength is the ability to produce force against external resistance, then strength training is any training which increases that ability to produce force against an external resistance.

In our daily life, strength provides the foundation of your ability to move your body, and to push, pull, and carry things; strength allows us to perform the countless physical actions that are everyday life. Increasing our strength through structured strength training allows us to do these things with less effort, and with greater confidence. Lifting heavy objects in the garden, picking up your grandchildren, or carrying your shopping bags; the stronger you are, the easier and more manageable these tasks become.

Strength training is the use of purpose designed equipment, such as barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, and resistance bands, to provide an external resistance against which you must generate force. By gradually increasing that external resistance over time, and following a structured and deliberate training plan, we are able to force the body to produce adaptations in order to meet the increasing demands being placed on it by this progressively increasing external resistance. Progression in strength training can be an increase in the total weight lifted, an increase in the number of repetitions performed, or a progression to a more physically and technically demanding movement; an example being progressing from using a machine to the use of free weights.

Why is strength training so important for older adults?

As we age, we start to lose muscle mass and bone density over time. Sedentary jobs, sitting for long periods in a car or at work, and the general nature of many people’s daily lives can exacerbate this loss of tissue and bone density, and lead to a gradual reduction in joint mobility and stability over time. For older adults, strength training can be one of the most rewarding and valuable forms of exercise for maintaining physical function, independence, and quality of life. By increasing strength, and improving the mobility and stability of your joints, you are able to continue to do the things you love, with confidence. When your strength training also includes work to improve balance and co-ordination, the results can be life changing.

Strength training is recommended for almost all adults over 65 at least two days a week in order to support healthy, happy aging, and can help reduce the risk of falls, fractures, and other injuries, as well as improving mental health, metabolic function, and lowering the risk of chronic health conditions such as arthritis and diabetes.

The NHS recommends that adults over 65:

-       be physically active every day, even if it's just light activity

-       do activities that improve strength, balance and flexibility on at least 2 days a week

-       do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity if you are already active, or a combination of both

-       reduce time spent sitting or lying down and break up long periods of not moving with some activity

Follow this link for the NHS physical activity guidelines for older adults.

Benefits of Strength Training

The World Health Organisation advises that physical activity in older adults improves physical function and is associated with “improvements in strength, balance, flexibility and cardiorespiratory fitness.’, and that “Structured training programs incorporating strength, balance, gait and functional training are associated with reduced falls and fall-related injury.” (WHO Guidelines on Physical Activity & Sedentary Behaviour, pp45 - 46)

Strength training can produce increased muscle mass, increased bone density, and improve the mobility, stability, and overall function of joints; your muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons, fascia, cartilage, and joints will all experience adaptations in response to training which involves regularly producing a high sub-maximal force against an external resistance. The neuromuscular system adapts too; nervous system adaptations can include more efficient motor unit recruitment and greater motor unit contractile force; you have more muscle, and you get better at contracting that muscle to produce force.

Life, and all the many physical activities it involves every day, gets easier and more enjoyable. You become more capable, more robust, and more resistant to damage (injury). As you become stronger, you will also increase the mobility and stability of your joints, and develop improved balance, accuracy, and co-ordination, all of which contribute towards making you more capable, more injury resistant, and more able to enjoy a high quality of life.

A good strength training program can be life changing for older adults, making you more capable, more confident, and allowing you to continue doing the things you love for many years to come.

What does a good strength training program look like?

A good strength training program, while varying for each individual’s needs, will always have the same fundamental features; it will be structured, it will be progressive over the time period for which it runs, it will train the entire body, and it will be based in compound movements (multi joint movements). A simple rule for strength training is that we want to use as many joints as possible, to move as much weight as (safely) possible, over the longest distance possible. 

A good strength training program will be challenging, but it shouldn't be intimidating to the new gym user. A good coach will program weights that challenge you, but are achievable, and will manage your progression effectively so you continue to make progress over the long term, safely, in a way that meets your needs and fits your lifestyle.

A good strength training program will be based around five fundamental movement patterns; squatting, hinging, pushing, pulling, and rotation/counter-rotation. (For older adults, training for balance and co-ordination should also be included). How these movement patterns are conducted will vary from coach to coach, and program to program, and various accessory and assistance movements may be included in the program, but a good program, from a good coach, will always be based around these five fundamental movement patterns.

How do I choose a good strength coach?

A good strength coach is someone who is appropriately qualified and experienced. You want someone who has genuine experience in strength training prior to becoming a coach, and someone who has completed an appropriate strength coaching qualification. A level three personal trainer qualification is the baseline qualification. For strength coaching, look for someone who also possesses a recognised Strength & Conditioning Coaches qualification.

Beyond that, look for someone who is genuinely motivated to help others, and in the case of older adults, someone who has some previous experience working with older adults in a strength training context, and last but certainly not least, look for someone who you like on a personal level; you will have to spend several hours a week with this person, and be able to trust them to guide you through a challenging learning process as you begin to master the movements and lifts required to complete a strength training program.

What should I do next?

If you are an older adult who hasn't exercised for a while, and you are interested in strength training and the benefits it provides, then the first step is to speak with your GP and discuss your wish to commence a strength training program. Follow your doctor’s advice, and advise any coach you engage about any restrictions or limitations your doctor has advised you to observe. You can also use the internet to look into what sort of facilities and coaches are available in your area, and when you have a couple of potential coaching choices in mind, reach out to those people and see if they feel right for you.

If you are in north west Edinburgh, particularly around the Blackhall and Craigleith areas, then Stuart Heeney Fitness could be the right fit for you. Stuart Heeney Fitness specialises in strength training for older adults, and offers free consultations and movement assessments at PureGym Edinburgh Craigleith, located in the Craigleith Retail Park EH4 2LN.

Get in touch today to book your free consultation.