So you’ve probably heard that you should lift weights and get stronger as you get older, right?
Maybe you know this but you’re afraid to get started because you aren’t sure if it’s safe or not.
In this article, we are going to discuss a few safety considerations when lifting and how to make sure you are making consistent progress without injuring yourself.
I’ve written other articles about how to get started with lifting weights, whether you should lift heavy or light, and what the best equipment for strength training, is. You can check those out by clicking on the respective links above.
But, let’s get into the article and make sure you are comfortable with your strength training routine!
Key Takeaways
- Strength training will give you a higher quality of life and help you live longer
- Start “low and slow.” Low weight and slow movement for each lift.
- Know what your preferences are versus working out at home, at the gym, or both, and this will help you decide what type of equipment you might want or need
- Form is important for different reasons, namely to help you learn to control your muscles and to be more efficient with the lifts.
- Rest and recovery is just as important as lifting itself. Make sure you are getting adequate sleep, and calories (especially protein)
Why Strength Training is Important For Seniors
I’ve written extensively about this, here, and here, so I won’t go into too much detail in this article.
Here’s a quick overview:
- Better bone density
- Better muscle mass and strength
- Better cognition (brain health)
- Better mental health
- Better energy levels (and libido)
- Better heart health (cardiovascular system)
- Higher quality of life and longer high quality life
There ya go, pretty incredible, right?
There is a reason why exercise has been said to be so potent that if we put it in a pill It’d be the first trillion-dollar medication.
Nothing is so potent for our health (in a positive direction) than exercise. A combination of lifting weights and cardiovascular exercise (walking, cycling, hiking, elliptical, etc), is best.
Know Your Limits And Start Slow
It’s always a good idea, regardless of age, to start slow and build.
We live in a world that wants everything now. But, if you’re reading this, you’re old enough and wise enough to know, the best things take time.
The best relationships are nurtured over many years.
The best businesses are built and grown over decades.
The best bodies are developed day in and day out for numerous years.
The best athletes train their entire lives to be the best.
You get where I’m going with this, right?
Whatever you want, whether it’s better balance, better strength, a stronger core, to look better, feel better, to be more functional to spend time with your kids, grandkids, friends, whatever it may be, exercise can get you there. But, it will be a labor of love.
I was listening to a great podcast the other day and the guest shared something I thought was incredibly insightful. He said “the chess grandmaster of habits is when you have become the person that does the thing.”
For example, I made a commitment to myself starting in September of last year that I would “write every day.” For the most part, I’ve been successful in this endeavor. I think I was successful more than 90% of the time. And now, I find myself actually calling myself a “writer.” It’s started to become a part of my identity.
Do you know what else is a part of my identity? Being a fit and healthy person. I am a fit and healthy person and I do the things that a fit and healthy person does.
This identity was built over many years.
If you don’t have that identity yet, no need to fret.
My advice is to start small with the baseline habit that you want, in this case, lifting weights, and start with the easiest possible component.
“I will put on my gym shoes every day.” This seems silly right? But this is an initial component of the habit of going to the gym or getting ready to exercise. We can start with things as simple as that to get it going. Can you tell I love this stuff? Ha.
Alright so that was a bit of a ramble but here are the main components of what I’m talking about when I say knowing limits and starting slow:
- Choose lightweight first. There is no sense in going super heavy if you haven’t learned the motion. Start light and low effort to start with and develop competence in the movements before you add a bunch of weight. There’s nothing dangerous about heavy weights and I want you to eventually get there, but it’s best to learn the basics with light weights first.
- Set appropriate expectations. Expect that it’s going to take at least three months before you see any noticeable results. Remind yourself of this expectation routinely. This will help you stay consistent when you aren’t seeing any progress.
- If you are working with a personal trainer make sure to let them know if at any point you are uncomfortable with what they are asking you to do. You should always be on the same page as your trainer when it comes to progress.
As you start building competence in different strength movements, it’s now time to increase the volume and intensity of your workouts. This should also be done in a progressive fashion and there are many different training programs out there that help you do this. I’ll link to some of those once I’ve written that article.
How To Choose The Right Equipment And Setting For You
So, how should you go about getting equipment and determining if you want to workout at home or in a gym?
Well, first of all, here’s an article I wrote with a few pieces of lifting gear that will be helpful if you want to build a home gym.
But ultimately it comes down to what type of environment do you want to be in?
Do you enjoy being in a gym around other people with similar goals all trying to improve themselves? Or, do you see a gym as a sweaty, disgusting place, with judgemental people?
If you’re in camp #1, you’ll likely benefit from going to a gym as you like being away from home.
If you are in camp #2, you might benefit from home workouts.
You can get fit whether you work out from home or if you go to the gym. And you know what? You can do both. It’s not a dichotomy.
How Important Are Form And Technique
I’m not going to sit here and write that form and technique are not important, but I’m also not going to say that they are the end-all-be-all.
Form should accomplish a few things:
- The form used should target the appropriate muscles that you are intending to use.
- If you are less interested in specific muscles and moreso on performing the squat, deadlift, or other compound movements with more competence, formwork is also beneficial because it can build a repeatable motor pattern that you get better at and thereby will be able to lift more weight.
- The form itself should not continuously cause pain
Form and pain is a whole different discussion but for the most part, people have all sorts of form who have pain and who don’t have pain. Something that is likely more linked to pain is a sudden spike in intensity and volume.
Of course, there’s a combination of factors that can lead to pain and discomfort and sure, form is one of them, but it’s a smaller contributor (in my opinion).
In any case, I still teach a certain technique for exercises and generally instruct people, especially when first learning a movement, to count two seconds up, two seconds down. Most people try to lift too fast when in reality what we want to do is move slowly and controlled.
This build more time under tension of the muscle which is a significant growth stimulator.
Additionally, it allows you to learn how to control your weight.
If you ever wanted to get into more explosive movements like box jumps or power cleans as a senior, that’s totally fine, but you probably shouldn’t start there.
How Important Is Rest And Recovery For Older Adults Who Strength Train?
Rest and recovery is just as important as the work itself. Make it a habit to ensure you are getting enough sleep, enough calories, particularly protein, and that you aren’t working the same body part every single day.
A good rule of thumb for a beginner lifter is to give yourself 48 hours of rest for each muscle group before you work it again.
A quick note about protein
Ideally you are eating one gram of protein per lb of body weight.
Yes, this may seem like a lot, however, if you are lifting weights and stressing the muscle, it’s important to replenish it with protein.
Conclusion
Lifting is safe and recommended for older adults 65+ (and for everybody). If you need assistance setting up a plan you can always work with a personal trainer, purchase a program online, or watch youtube videos for free to learn.
There are endless amounts of free information online to help you accomplish this goal.
Thank you for reading and please leave a comment below if you have any questions!