What is weight training?
Weight training is a type of exercise where muscles contract against external resistance. The external resistance can be from your own body, resistance bands, dumbbells, or something else.
Why is weight training good and important as we get older?
Each decade, after you turn 50, your muscle tone declines by 15%. Because of that, balance problems and falls may become more frequent. To continue living an independent life, older adults should definitely start weight training.
It even helps to create an emotional impact. Weight training leads to more self-confidence and better motivation, which helps to continue training. When you continue training, you are happier, sleep better, and focus on things better. It can also help prevent diseases.
What are the benefits of weight training?
- reduce the risk of bone fractures
- reduce the symptoms of arthritis and stiffness
- control your weight
- control your blood sugar
- strengthen your bones and reduce the associated muscle loss
- improve your range of motion
- increases lung capacity
and much more.
What to consider
- Always make sure to warm up 10 minutes before your workout and cool down 10 minutes after your workout. Warm-up and coold-own, especially stretching the main muscles that you will train that day.
- You need to listen to your body! A little muscle soreness is normal, but too much means you’ve overdone it. When you exercise, you should feel better and healthier, not the other way around.
- Don’t start too big. If you haven’t exercised for a while, start smaller to prepare your muscles and your whole body for the weights. It also helps maintain bone density and helps you maintain or at least slow muscle loss.
- Stick to light weights. It’s normal to not be able to lift the weights you lifted when you were younger. The body loses strength as it gets older.
Rule number one: If you experience pain during weight training, switch to a lighter weight. - Before starting your weight training, consult your doctor. You need to know about pre-existing conditions. After that, you can create a fitness plan around these conditions.
What’s the ideal weight training program?
As you can read in the text above, you need to know about pre-existing conditions first, before you can create your ideal weight training plan.
But here is an example of an ideal weight training program that you can customize to work best for you. Work out 2-3 times a week.
- 8-10 exercises per session.
- 2-3 sets per exercise.
- Ten repetitions per set.
and - 30-45 seconds rest per set.
Make sure that you have at least one day of rest between weight training days.
Best weights for older adults
Conclusion:
After reading this article, you’re ready to work out! If you need any help to find the right weights for your training, come to our showroom. If you are not sure which is best for you, our qualified staff will be happy to help you!
You’ll find us here:
Unit 1 Kylemore Park W, Kylemore, Dublin, D10 WC62
Contact us on 018167510 or email [email protected]
