Good News

Well, here is some good news! If you start strength training you won’t end up with all those bulging muscles that ( to me anyway) look so ugly. To start with, if you are a woman, you just don’t have the hormones (testosterone) in your body to make you ‘bulk up’ like that – unless you go down the forbidden road of steroids etc! It is true that you will ‘tone’ up, but no-one is going to mind nice firm small feminine muscles! Much better that than squishy wobbly fat deposits.

And- for all the blokes out there- well, who wouldn’t some some great manly muscles! Again, you will develop muscles, but unless you also do the “supplement” stuff you aren’t going to get excessively huge!

Now that I have put some fears aside, let’s take a look at why it is important for over 50s to do some strength training.

What do I mean by “Strength Training”

By strength training, I mean the big compound exercises, like squats and lunges, deadlifts,  push ups, chin ups,- these are FULL body workout exercises, unlike ‘isolated’ exercises like biceps curls.

1. Strength training will help you to add and maintain lean muscle mass. That’s good because lean muscle is active – so you are going to make your body metabolism faster – that means burn more calories 24/7. Good idea eh!
2. Strength training will help you to improve your flexibility.
3. Strength training will help you to be more stable on your feet. My clients all tell me how much stronger and stable they feel in their day-to-day living!
4. Strength training, along with good nutrition can help you to avoid  ‘mature-onset’  health problems like Type 2 diabetes, heart disease etc.
5. Strength training will help to strengthen your BONES – and delay or even avoid osteoporosis.

So -why not give it a try?

BIG NOTE:

Before embarking on ANY fitness training, it is essential that you consult your medical practitioner for a full check up and clearance.

It is also important that you find a certified registered trainer who can take you through the weight training exercises safely.

Well, it really depends on what your goal is. If you just want to ‘look good’ then machine weights will do that for you. If you want functional strength and stability in your day to day living – then free weights is the way to go. How come?

Machine Weights

Well, those machines are bolted to the floor. Then you get on them and you are pretty much ‘seat-belted’ in one position- the machine takes most of the postural stability requirements – your postural muscles don’t have much of a job left to do, so they  more or less go on holiday while the big muscles get on with it in tandem with the weight machine you happen to be working on.

Free Weights

As I get older, I want to have good posture! I want to be sure I am fully stable on my own two feet! I don’t go around with a machine by my side, so I choose to workout with free weights – ones that force my postural muscles to come to the party and develop alongside my big muscles. Free weight exercises make my body stabilise in all planes of movement – now that’s good for daily life!

Work Out at Home

Another great thing about free weights is that with just a few dumb bells and perhaps a stability ball, you can do a pretty good workout at home so why not have a ‘workout party” with a couple of friends to keep you motivated?

Big Note:

If you have never tried strength training before, first make sure you have a full medical check-up – NEVER embark on a fitness programme without your doctor’s approval.

Second, get hold of a certified registered trainer who can show you how to do the exercises with good posture so that you keep safe all the time.