To Your Health
July, 2024 (Vol. 18, Issue 07) |
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Maintain Your Strength
By Editorial Staff
As we age, we lose muscle – pure and simple. In fact, after around age 50, we lose approximately 3% of our muscle strength – every year. Loss of muscle has potential consequences: an increased risk of frailty, falls and fractures, none of which help us maintain an active, independent lifestyle as we get older.
There's a solution to maintain muscle strength with age, according to research: intensive strength training. In a study involving 369 seniors (average age: 71 years), a year-long intensive strength-training program maintained leg strength over four years, while seniors who performed less-intensive strength training (or none at all) experienced strength declines over the same time period.
Seniors randomly assigned to the intensive training program performed machine-based exercises at nearly maximum capacity three times per week; seniors assigned to the less-intensive training program performed body weight and resistance band exercises (also three times weekly). Strength was assessed at baseline, after one year of training, and two and four years after the start of the study. Findings appear in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Not every senior can perform heavy weight lifting due to physical limitations or health issues, so talk to your doctor before initiating a training program to ensure safety. Then get started maintaining your strength – no matter your age!
