Progressive resistance training helps older adults build muscle and increase their strength to function better in daily life.
Progressive resistance training helps older adults build muscle and increase their strength to function better in daily life.
Researchers from University of Michigan Health System did a review and found that an adult can add 2.42 pounds of lean muscle to their body mass and increase their overall strength by 25 percent to 30 percent after doing an average of 18 to 20 weeks of progressive resistance training.
Resistance exercise is a great way to increase lean muscle tissue and strength capacity so that people can function more readily in daily life. Through resistance training adults can improve their ability to stand up out of a chair walk across the floor, climb a flight of stairs - anything that requires manipulating their own body mass through a full range of motions.
Progressive resistance training means that the amount of weight used, and the frequency and duration of training sessions is altered over time to accommodate an individual's improvements. Sedentary adults over age 50 years normally lose up to 0.4 pounds of muscle per year. That only worsens as people age. But even earlier in adulthood - the 30s, 40s and 50s one can begin to see declines if one didn't engage in any strengthening activities.
A good way for people to start on a resistance training program, especially for people who are relatively sedentary - and after getting permission from their doctor to do so - is to use their body mass as a load for various exercises. Exercises you can do using your own body weight include squats, standing up out of a chair, modified push-ups, lying hip bridges, as well as non-traditional exercises that progress through a full range of motion, such as Tai Chi or Pilates and Yoga.
After getting accustomed to these activities, older adults can move on to more advanced resistance training in an exercise and fitness facility. A certified trainer or fitness professional that has experience with special populations can help with the transition. Current recommendations suggest that an older individual participate in strengthening exercise two days per week.
The above analyses show that the most important factor in somebody's function is their strength capacity. No matter what age an individual is, they can experience significant strength improvements with progressive resistance exercise even into the eighth and ninth decades of life.
The researchers recommend that progressive resistance training should be encouraged among healthy older adults to help minimize the loss of muscle mass and strength as they age.
Researchers from University of Michigan Health System did a review and found that an adult can add 2.42 pounds of lean muscle to their body mass and increase their overall strength by 25 percent to 30 percent after doing an average of 18 to 20 weeks of progressive resistance training.
Resistance exercise is a great way to increase lean muscle tissue and strength capacity so that people can function more readily in daily life. Through resistance training adults can improve their ability to stand up out of a chair walk across the floor, climb a flight of stairs - anything that requires manipulating their own body mass through a full range of motions.
Progressive resistance training means that the amount of weight used, and the frequency and duration of training sessions is altered over time to accommodate an individual's improvements. Sedentary adults over age 50 years normally lose up to 0.4 pounds of muscle per year. That only worsens as people age. But even earlier in adulthood - the 30s, 40s and 50s one can begin to see declines if one didn't engage in any strengthening activities.
A good way for people to start on a resistance training program, especially for people who are relatively sedentary - and after getting permission from their doctor to do so - is to use their body mass as a load for various exercises. Exercises you can do using your own body weight include squats, standing up out of a chair, modified push-ups, lying hip bridges, as well as non-traditional exercises that progress through a full range of motion, such as Tai Chi or Pilates and Yoga.
After getting accustomed to these activities, older adults can move on to more advanced resistance training in an exercise and fitness facility. A certified trainer or fitness professional that has experience with special populations can help with the transition. Current recommendations suggest that an older individual participate in strengthening exercise two days per week.
The above analyses show that the most important factor in somebody's function is their strength capacity. No matter what age an individual is, they can experience significant strength improvements with progressive resistance exercise even into the eighth and ninth decades of life.
The researchers recommend that progressive resistance training should be encouraged among healthy older adults to help minimize the loss of muscle mass and strength as they age.
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