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Should the elderly train? They definitely should. Should they train differently from youngsters? Not necessarily. The main biological principles apply in both cases. However, there are several factors that must be considered. Tissue elasticity decreases with age, especially in the blood vessels and in other tissues such as tendons, ligaments and muscles.  Therefore, the elderly must start training at a more gentle rate and increase weights more gradually. Regardless of one’s age, it is never too late and age cannot be used as an excuse not to exercise.

Age is not a hurdle to a strong, healthy body

If we do nothing to remedy it, we lose around one third of our strength between the ages of 30 and 80. Muscle mass is replaced by connective and adipose tissue, which is known as sarcopenia and is what makes it more difficult for us to walk, lift weights or climb stairs, etc. or any other everyday activity that we should be able to do almost without realising. This decrease in muscle strength is often also accompanied by an increase in the body weight we carry around. Sarcopenia and osteoporosis, which are closely related, are two of the main factors behind our longevity and quality of life.

The association between ageing and fragility or weakness has for a long time been widely considered inevitable. Despite doctors specialising in the elderly having recognised the problems caused by the loss of muscle mass a lot time ago, the false belief was to consider muscle strengthening training unsuitable for elderly health.

It has recently been scientifically proven that the elderly –those suffering from some kind of physical limitation and those who do not– can considerably increase their muscle strength and, therefore, significantly improve their everyday lives through correctly guided muscle strengthening training.

Studies have shown that health-oriented muscle strengthening training, even when it is aimed at the elderly, leads to an increase in strength regardless of the person’s age.    What is more, the greater the loss of strength, the more impressive the results obtained through this type of training.

Should the elderly do a different type of training to youngsters?

As we said at the beginning, the biological principles of training are the same in both cases. However, several aspects should be considered:

  • Start with more gentle exercises
  • Increase weights more gradually
  • Design a training programme with 8-10 different exercises that include the main muscle groups through multi-joint movements
  • Training is recommended 2 or 3 times a week, with a good rest period between sessions
  • Include functional, coordination and balance movements in the training sessions to imitate everyday activities and prevent falls.

Benefits of physical activity at any age

The conclusion of all this is that physical activity and, more specifically, muscle strength training, is one of the most effective ways of delaying sarcopenia and other unwanted situations normally associated with the ageing process, such as osteoporosis. We are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of strength training in the elderly and their effects expand to other aspects related to health and quality of life, such as preventing falls and cognitive decline.

At Wunder Training, we design personal training sessions for you considering your goals, your age, and your initial physical fitness. The basic principle is: Whatever your age, it’s always a good time to start training in order to improve your health and quality of life.

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Find out about your personalised training plan with one free session

FREE TRAINING SESSION

Find out about your personalised training plan with one free session