Strength Training Can Be for All Ages
By Tom Herrin
Chances are when you hear anyone talk about strength, the first thing that pops into your head is the image of the guy wearing a pair of small shorts with a handlebar mustache holding a bar over his head with weights on it. Strength training is something very different and it does not necessarily have anything to do with building bulky muscles. No matter what your age, you can benefit from a good strength training program. You will not only feel better, but you can minimize many common aches and pains.
It Can Improve Your Everyday Activities
As we age, we lose body muscle. We may lose it at a rate of almost a pound of muscle per year. Strength training can stop the loss and build back up. After all, we use those muscles for most of our everyday activities. We may wonder why we can’t do what we could a few years ago. Strength training can lower blood pressure and help prevent osteoporosis. It can increase the rate at which we burn calories, obviously helping in weight management. One more thing that is vitally important as we age is that it can help us to improve our balance. You probably know someone who has suffered from falls due to aging.
It Is Not As Hard As It Sounds
In order to improve strength, you have to lift something. You could start with five-pound hand weights. Once you can get your motion down, you want to do 15 repetitions of each exercise. You normally want to do two or three sets of whatever you do. The best results will be from doing those reps with enough weight so that you can do them pretty easily but feel a little tired as you do the last one. Doing this two to three times per week can help a lot. Once you can manage one weight, you will want to increase a little until you are slightly tested at the next weight. You will build basic strength before you know it.
It Will Be Time Well Spent
Another good thing about strength training is that it does not require much time. You can start with only about 15 minutes a day and work up to whatever you want, but you can have reasonably good results with 20 to 30 minutes per day those two or three times per week. Once you start, you will actually look forward to it. You are never too old to start. Why not get started today.
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic.
