subject: Supercharge Your Energy With Senior Weight Training [print this page] So you've at last resolved that it's time to do something about the state of the shape you're in in your senior years, as the bones become more brittle and your muscles weaker. And you've realized that lifting weights is a good strategy to gain your muscular strength, sense of balance, and bone mass back again. However it's challenging for seniors if you don't know how to start. For this reason we've made it easy for you! Strength training for seniors is simple and fun!
Getting To Be Accustomed To Weight Training Language
We should get started off by way of knowing a small number of concepts. You need to understand the basic fundamentals of the way strength training functions, and the basic technique by which the muscles develop.
Reps Vs. Sets
Of the best ways to understand reps (short for repetitions) and sets would be to picture somebody doing push-ups. If they do ten push-ups back to back, that counts as 1 "set," with 10 reps. When they then rest for thirty seconds and then proceed to do 10 more push-ups back to back, that's considered 2 sets of 10 repetitions.
Rest Intervals
A rest interval is the period of time you take a rest for between sets. This might span from 30 seconds to two minutes, based upon what you want to be able to achieve (the shorter time you take for your rest interval, the greater your stamina will become).
Free Weights
Free weights (sometimes known as dumbbells or barbells) are weights which aren't attached to a weight lifting machine. These are often well-liked by fitness coaches because they demand added use of the stabilizing muscles (in other words, one's body must work harder to keep the dumbbells steady than it would with a weight lifting machine, which stabilizes for you).
Atrophy
The wasting away of your muscle tissue. This is often brought on by the lack of using your muscles (i.e. you're not training often enough), or because of injury, or disease.
Just How Does Strength Training Work?
Everyone knows that over time it's possible to start building muscle with a basic thing such as working out with a 3 to five lb weight a couple of times each week. So why and how can this happen?
We'll utilize the bicep curl for illustration. The bicep curl involves keeping a free weight in one or both of your hands, with your arms extended, and bending your arm(s) up to the shoulders. What's going on when the muscles meet with strength training like this? Weight training creates mini tears in the muscles. Amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) then swoop in and repair and fortify the torn muscle fibres, making them resistant to possible future harm.
This process of tear down and restore starts off straight away, but because it is tiny, it will need time before you begin to see observable results in the form of stronger and bigger muscle. Take care, however. Your muscles can start to wither up after only two weeks of non-use (e.g. if you don't continue performing the workouts regularly, you'll lose any growth that you get).
Starting Resistance Training For Seniors
Now that you're all set to go, let's move on with a few the fundamental strength training exercises that you can do.
(For a extensive breakdown of strength training for seniors, I suggest the Super Senior Weight Training DVDs. They'll furnish you with an in-depth look at the ideal weight training exercises for you, and then leaves you with a total 21-day weight training for seniors plan.)
Get started with a self-assessment to discover how much weight you're ready to start out with. Take a full one-liter water bottle in each hand. Keeping hold of the water bottles, perform 8 repetitions of each of the following moves:
Place your arms at your sides and then raise them so your body looks like the letter "t."
Lift your arms straight over your head, keeping your shoulders down.
Now go into a squat. Your legs should be about two feet apart, your head up and spine straight. Keep your feet lined up in the same direction as your knees.
Take a position with the feet a shoulder's width apart from each other and rise up on your toes.
Now how do you feel about those drills? Pick from the options underneath, and follow our recommendations accordingly.
--I couldn't finish an entire set of 1 or more of the drills: Drain the water bottles half way and make use of those for now. You can little by little fill up the bottles with additional water when it becomes easier to do.
--My muscles were really sore after each exercise: Stick with the completely full water bottles and then graduate to the dumbbells (see below) till it becomes easier.
--My arms ended up a bit sore following each exercise: Purchase some 3 lb. and 5 pound free weights and perform the same exercises with 3 pound weights, working up to the 5 lb. ones.
--I thought that the exercises were pretty simple: Buy several five and 7 lb free weights. Start out with the five lb dumbbells and do the exercises again, eventually graduating to the bigger barbells.
--This was quite simple! Buy seven lb and 10 lb. free weights and do the exact same exercises with the seven lb free weights working up to the ten lb barbells.
Attempt to add a minumum of one new weight bearing exercise each week, til you have a circuit of about 10 to 12. Attempt to alternate your exercises occasionally to avoid plateauing (which occurs when your muscles cease getting stronger).
With slow and caring progress, you'll start to notice real benefits thanks to your new strength training for seniors strategy!
