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There are numerous misconceptions about aging and exercise, particularly when it comes to weightlifting. Many people believe exercise can be harmful to older adults or it’s too late to start exercising during retirement. However, strength training offers a wide range of benefits to seniors, from improved physical health to optimized cognitive functioning.

Continue reading to learn the benefits and considerations of weight training for retirees.

Understanding Weight Training

Among the four main types of exercise — balance, stretching, aerobic and strength — weight training falls in the last category. As we age, this form of exercise is important to boost our confidence and independence.

What Is Weight Training?

Weight training uses resistance to build muscle and improve strength. It typically involves resistance bands, free weights, weight machines or your own body weight to challenge your muscles. Over time, your muscles become stronger and more able to take on heavier loads.

The Importance of Strength Training

As we age, our bodies lose muscle. This process is called sarcopenia, and it begins as early as age 30. It results in decreased strength and mobility, increasing your risk of falling or suffering a fracture.

The good news is that by strength training, you can increase the muscle mass you’ve lost as a function of aging. Lifting weights regularly can help you with daily tasks such as standing up from a chair, climbing stairs, carrying groceries or lifting heavier objects around your apartment.

The Benefits of Weight Training for Seniors

While weight training benefits anyone who commits to a consistent routine, it’s particularly important for seniors, who lose around 3%-5% of their muscle mass every decade.

Physical Health Benefits

The most noticeable physical health benefits retirees get from weight training include:

• Increased muscle mass: Regular strength training increases muscle mass, which helps maintain regular body functioning, regulate blood pressure and protect against heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
• Bone health: Strong muscles support healthy bones, strengthening them and helping prevent osteoporosis and bone decay.
• Joint health: Strength training stabilizes and protects joints. This helps improve functioning, benefiting those living with conditions such as arthritis.

Mental Health Benefits

Along with improving the body’s strength and health, weightlifting brings mental health benefits such as:

• Improved mood: Weightlifting releases endorphins — chemicals in the brain and body that act as natural mood boosters and pain relievers. This helps improve your mood and manage symptoms of mental health conditions such as depression.
• Improved cognitive function: A long-term study found seniors who engage in strength training experience improvements in their memory, attention and organizational skills.
• Improved confidence: As seniors become stronger, they develop confidence in their body’s abilities and learn to trust their sense of balance, flexibility and stamina.

Functional Benefits

Weightlifting makes everyday life easier, giving you the ability to function comfortably and safely. Some benefits include:

• Enhanced balance and coordination: Strength training often involves a combination of movements that promote balance and coordination, which benefits daily activities such as climbing stairs, going for walks and getting out of a bathtub.
• Increased independence: Strong muscles and healthy bones mean you don’t have to rely on help from others to take care of everyday tasks.
• Improved range of motion: Lifting weights stretches and lengthens muscles, enhancing flexibility and preventing muscle tightness and pain.

Guidelines for Safe Weight Training

Like all healthy lifestyle changes, weightlifting should be designed with the goal of safety and sustainability. This means avoiding injury and developing habits that’ll bring enjoyment and enhance your quality of life. Below, we list some tips for starting a weightlifting routine.

Talk to Your Doctor

Your doctor can provide personalized recommendations based on your health history and status and help ensure the exercises you participate in will minimize the risk of joint or muscle damage. They may also conduct an evaluation to help identify health conditions, such as high blood pressure or heart conditions, that may require modified exercise routines.

Start Slow and Progress Gradually

When you’re starting a weightlifting program, it’s important to start slowly and gradually increase the weight or resistance as your strength improves. This prevents injury and joint pain, which may ultimately slow your progress.

Learn the Proper Techniques

Talk to a trainer or do research on the correct form for each exercise you do. Proper form goes a long way in preventing muscle strain and injury.

Schedule Time for Rest and Recovery

It’s important to allow muscles and joints to recover between strength-training sessions. Muscles grow on the rest days, so strength training every day not only increases your risk of injury but is also counterproductive to your goals. Seniors should generally aim to rest for 2-3 days between training sessions.

Weight training offers a host of benefits for people of all ages, particularly seniors. By starting gradually, paying attention to form and scheduling rest days, you should see improvements to your physical and mental health.

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