BENEFITS OF STRENGTH TRAINING FOR OLDER ADULTS AND SENIORS
It is well known that athletes who are seeking to improve strength and muscle hypertrophy, power, and sport-specific fitness have used resistance, strength and weight training to do so.
But these days, since the benefits of resistance and weight training are better understood, it’s now looked upon as one of the most effective and least costly ways to preserve independence and bring significant health improvements for older adults and seniors.
The potential health-related benefits of resistance and weight training is now recommended by national health organizations such as the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), The American Heart Association, and the American Association for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
These are in conjunction with exercise modalities, such as aerobic, flexibility, and balance exercises, for maintenance and improvement of health and performance. Resistance and weight training can help reduce the risk factors associated with many diseases and physical ailments and can preserve and improve functional capacity and mobility.
These benefits have been shown to improve the quality of life for a wide range of older adults, seniors, and adults with health conditions, including those with low back pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, neuromuscular disease, renal failure, and type 2 diabetes, as well as those recovering from a stroke.
Regular resistance and weight training exercise results in a remarkable number of positive health changes in both older males and females.
Some of these health benefits are:
>Improved Body Composition in which there is an increase in lean muscle mass, metabolic rate,
and daily energy levels.
>Improved Blood Pressure where small reductions in resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure reduce the risk of stroke and osteoporosis.
>Increased Bone Mass is achieved by the weight-bearing activity in resistance training which improves bone health and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
>Reducing low-back pain by increasing strength and cross-sectional area of the vertebral muscles. This reduces lover-back pain by maintaining muscle balance.
>Lowers Blood Lipids by improving blood lipid profile, including lower total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations.
The terms, resistance training, strength training, and weight training all describe a type of exercise that requires the body’s muscles to move or attempt to move against an opposing force or resistance.
Resistance, strength, and weight training exercises come in different forms, and each person is taken through a thorough fitness assessment to understand which exercises are best for them to start with.
