My younger clients are almost always eager to strength train because they understand how it will help them in their sport. Plus, many of them want to look a certain way and be more confident in their physical capabilities. But for those whose athletic careers are behind them, resistance work can seem daunting. They see high school or college competitors swinging a kettlebell, flipping a tire, or squatting several plates on each side of the bar and think, “I could never do that.” While they might be right on one level, strength training is arguably just as essential as we age. Here are three reasons why you might want to give it a shot.
1) Forge Stronger Bones
One of the most common causes of age-related degeneration is the declining density and strength of your bones as you age. Whether it’s a chronic condition like arthritis or osteoporosis or acute incidents like a fall-related fracture, the older you get, the less resilient your skeletal system becomes, unless you regularly put it under load. According to a study conducted by the Office of the Surgeon General, 1.5 million people suffer a bone disease-related fracture annually, while 4 in 10 women over 50 will break a bone in their hip, wrist, or spine before the end of their life. The report concluded that “Due primarily to the aging of the population, the prevalence of osteoporosis and low bone mass is expected to increase.”1
The good news is that it’s possible to turn back the clock with consistent resistance training. When you ask your body to bear more than your body weight, you don’t only signal your muscles and connective tissues to grow stronger but also prompt your bones to adapt. Whether it’s the larger ones in your legs and arms or the array of smaller bones in your hands and feet, strength training for as little as 20 minutes two or three times a week can make your skeleton sturdier. A Korean research duo found that resistance exercise stimulates a specific pathway (PI3K-Akt-mTORC1) that increases both bone mass and density and can slow or even reverse the effects of osteosarcopenia (age-related skeletal decline).2
2) Create Resilient Supporting Structures
Muscles are the headline-grabbers when it comes to the benefits of strength work, but ligaments, tendons, fascia, and other connective tissues also respond to the same stimuli you hope will help you bulk up or lean out. When you expose these structures to mechanical load on a regular basis, they respond by becoming stronger and more resilient. You should note that this response takes longer than it does for your muscles to get bigger (hypertrophy), which is why it’s necessary to work with a coach to come up with a progressive plan that will increase your capacity and intensity over the course of a planned series of sessions. 12 to 16 weeks is an ideal block for this purpose.
A study published in Sports Medicine discovered that exercises that require your muscles to contract both eccentrically and concentrically had a positive outcome for participants struggling with tendinitis in their Achilles or patellar tendon3. Another paper released via Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine noted that frequent strength training significantly reduces the risk of ACL injuries4. So if you’re serious about safeguarding your joints as you age, you’d do well to give resistance training a try. Want to learn more about how this benefit pertains to your lower body? Check out our recent series, starting with part one.
3) Preserve Muscle Tissue
OK, I started this piece by stating that we weren’t going to discuss aesthetics here. But before you get all huffy, hear me out. As you age, your ability to sustain muscle mass declines due to lower levels of testosterone and other growth hormones and additional biological factors. This is called sarcopenia. As Cal State Fullerton muscle physiologist Andy Galpin has stated, this diminished capacity is mostly related to the kind of fast-twitch muscle fibers responsible for you moving quickly. In younger people, this is related to sports performance, and in older folks, it’s more applicable to lifestyle activities like chasing your grandkids around and safety-related reactions like adjusting your feet so you don’t fall if you lose your balance.
Fortunately, a reduction in muscle mass and function is somewhat optional, and you can head sarcopenia off at the pass by committing to a regular strength training routine, no matter what your age is. In an article for XPT, Galpin wrote that “strength training is also invaluable to stave off sarcopenia—the age-related loss of fast-twitch muscle that compromises vitality.”5
In the study he cited, a research team from Ohio University concluded that “resistance exercise training should be considered a first-line treatment strategy for managing and preventing both sarcopenia and dynapenia.”6 The latter is a fancy term for a loss of muscle strength and power output, which the authors suggest can be counteracted by strength training between two and four times per week, combining both multi-joint (compound) and uni-joint (isolation) exercises for maximum effect.
4) Protect Your Joints
Just as with your bones and muscles, the health and durability of your joints start to decline as you get older. From a physiological perspective, this actually happens earlier than you might think. For example, the production of collagen – a pervasive protein that gives shape, impact protection, and structure to your knees, shoulders, elbows, and other joints – actually begins to go down in your late 20s. This also applies to the collagen in the extracellular matrix (ECM), a web-like support structure that helps your body absorb force and provides rigidity.
Sure, there is a supplement path you can take here. But research suggests that it would be even more effective if you started strength training consistently. According to the pioneering work of Keith Baar and his research team, your regimen should include both weight-bearing and explosive exercises – even if you consider yourself to be more like a late-career basketball player who can barely dunk than a high-flying, late-80s Michael Jordan.
One study conducted by Baar and his colleagues found that just six minutes of jumping rope over the course of a workout doubles the synthesis of joint-stabilizing and cushioning collagen7. Taking a collagen supplement before the workout doubled it again. So look for a program that includes at least some leaping and, if you haven’t had to jump for a while, start by working on your jumping and landing mechanics. A gradual progression over two or three months should get you up in the air (and back down to the ground) safely.
How Does Resistance Training Turbocharge Your Brain?
Did you know that resistance training doesn’t just age-proof your body, but also benefits your mind? Click HERE to learn how.
1. “Bone Health and Osteoporosis: A Report of the Surgeon General,” 2004, available online at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20945569/.
2. A Ram Hong and Sang Wan Kim, “Effects of Resistance Exercise on Bone Health,” Endocrinology and Metabolism, December 2018, available online at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6279907/.
3. Peter Malliaras et al, “Achilles and Patellar Tendinopathy Loading Programmes : A Systematic Review Comparing Clinical Outcomes and Identifying Potential Mechanisms for Effectiveness,” Sports Medicine, April 2013, available online at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23494258/.
4. Trent Nessler, Linda Denney, and Justin Sampley, “ACL Injury Prevention: What Does Research Tell Us?” Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine, September 2017, available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5577417/.
5. Andy Galpin, “Going Back to Basics in Your Training,” XPT, May 14, 2019, available online at https://www.xptlife.com/going-back-to-basics-in-your-training.
6. Timothy D. Law et al, “Resistance Exercise to Prevent and Manage Sarcopenia and Dynapenia,” Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics, January 1, 2017, available online at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4849483/.
7. Gregory Shaw et al, “Vitamin C–Enriched Gelatin Supplementation Before Intermittent Activity Augments Collagen Synthesis,” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, available online at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5183725/.