How to Build Strength at an Older Age
The most important factor to an individual’s functional capacity is strength. After an average of 18-20 weeks of progressive resistance training, an adult can add 2.42 pounds of lean muscle to their body mass and increase their overall strength by 25-30 percent.
Source: A review article by U-M researchers, published in The American Journal of Medicine (March 2011)
4 Benefits of Strength Training
- Muscle burns more calories than fat even at rest
- Helps increase bone mass
- Boosts energy
- Preserves your independence
Is This Possible to do as We Get Older?
The good news is YES, it has been found that men between 35 and 50 years of age built just as much muscle as those between 18 and 22 with an 8-week strength-training program.
Source: A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2009)
Muscle loss is not caused by aging itself but by lack of activity. Strength building is possible and beneficial as we age. Often when you think of strength training, you think of heavy weights or bulky equipment. However, there are many different ways to develop strength on land and in water.
On land it doesn’t take lots of fancy equipment. In fact, we can use our body weight with simple body movements to effectively build lower body strength.
Basic moves like body-weight squats and lunges can help you develop muscle and overall, more strength in your lower body. These moves don’t require an overwhelming gym or equipment. So grab a towel and a water bottle and get moving in the privacy of your own home.
Can I Build Strength in Water?
Water workouts can also provide a tough total body workout and improve strength. Resistance of water hits you from all angles. This “built in” equipment requires your muscles to work whether you are moving up, down, right, left or turning around the corner. Every time you change direction, you are working against resistance!
It is proven doing water exercise two to three times a week can have significant improvements in strength, flexibility and cardiovascular health. It can also decrease the risk of disability, improve balance and increase your ability to perform daily activities with ease.
There are many types of water workouts you can do that target strength, such as intervals, circuits or even basic moves in shallow water like squats, walking, or a combination of the two.
WECOACH
Our exercise routines focus on movements that are natural for the body. This helps to prevent injury and to strengthen weaknesses. Our exercises on land and in the pool work together to unify and strengthen the body as a whole.
Water exercise offers you an opportunity to do routines that aren’t possible on land. In a previous article, I talked about 7 benefits of water exercise. You can read it here.
Our three low impact land workouts use simple hip and arm reaches to build lower body strength, reduce pain and stiffness, and improve core strength and stability.
To see the trailer for my land workout series, click below!
Thanks for reading,
Laurie Denomme
