Benefits of Weight Training for Elders (Senior Citizen)

People usually think that exercising at an elder age may cause injuries to their bodies. But exercising at old age for a short period can also increase muscle strength and tone. Recent studies have shown that weight training has improved muscle strength in elders who suffered from different health-related issues. Elders can strengthen their upper and lower bodies through weight training by using machines or lifting weights. 

An increase in age, it contributes to loss of strength and muscle mass which is known as sarcopenia. Current research shows that weight training exercises can combat weakness and frailty and their debilitating consequences. Regular exercises like for 2-3 days per week, helps in building muscle strength and muscle mass and preserving bone density. It reduces the risk of osteoporosis and the sign and symptoms of numerous chronic diseases such as heart disease, arthritis, and type 2 diabetes, and also reduces depression and improves sleep. 

The benefits of weight training for elders are mentioned below:

1. Weight training reduces resting blood glucose levels.
2. Weight training is the better choice for improving glycemic control.
3. Insulin resistance is a common factor in the development of pre-diabetes and then diabetes. This means that the cells are unable to use insulin efficiently and therefore do a poor job of absorbing glucose from the blood. Weight training helps in reducing entire body insulin resistance.
4. A single session of weight training was able to improve sleep latency, the amount of time it takes to fall asleep, as well as sleep consolidation. Sleep consolidation is important for the proper functioning of the brain’s role in memory and learning.
5. Combining weight training with some light walking can reduce the severity of obstructive sleep apnea. Although it doesn’t cure you of sleep apnea, any improvement will allow for greater levels of proper breathing, reduce the amount of disruption of normal sleep patterns and the other issues that can happen from this disorder.
6. It decreases the amount of oxidative stress in the mitochondria and increases complex IV of the electron transport chain (ETC). This oxidative stress at higher levels can cause a cascade of biological mechanisms to occur in the cell that leads to cell death. Whereas complex IV plays a critical role in the functioning of mitochondria. By increasing complex IV functions better as well as decreasing the level of oxidative stress.
7. The issue of age-related mitochondrial impairment and the corresponding muscle weakness was shown to be able to be partially reversed through six months of weight training. Therefore, incorporating weight training into your lifestyle as early as possible will help prevent or postpone this issue for as long as possible. Mitochondria are what allow our cells to function and perform their jobs which weight training can help preserve healthy mitochondria, form new ones, and prevent the death of others.
8. Adults recovering from hip fractures were shown to improve muscle function and symmetry in sit-and-stand tasks, and general physical functioning due to weight training exercises.
9. Weight training has a dual impact on a person’s metabolic rate because it increases energy use during both the exercise session and the muscle recovery and rebuilding period up to 3 days after each workout.
10. Most people accumulate fat as they age, even if their eating patterns remain the same. Fortunately, the weight training studies showed that a 3-4 pound increase in muscle also demonstrated a 3-4 pounds decrease in fat weight.
11. Hypertension is the major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Numerous studies have shown significant reductions in resting blood pressure readings after two more months of weight training.
12. An increase in blood lipid levels increases the risk for heart disease. But regular weight training can result in favourable increases of 8% to 21% in HDL (good) cholesterol, favourable decreases of 13% to 23% in LDL (bad) cholesterol, and favourable reductions of 11% to 18% in triglycerides
13. For older adults who have had problems with cardiovascular health, weight training exercise has proven to be a productive means for attaining and maintaining desirable body weight, increasing muscle mass and strength, improving physical performance, speeding recovery from the cardiovascular event, and enhancing self-efficacy.
14. While a large percentage of people with lower back pain can reduce discomfort by strengthening their lower-back muscles, weight training exercise has also proven helpful for people having arthritis and fibromyalgia.
15. Weight training is well tolerated by adult cancer patients and may provide a variety of health and fitness benefits during and after treatment, such as reduced fatigue, increased muscle strength, improved body composition, and enhanced physical function (especially shoulder mobility in patients recovering from breast cancer).

An Article by,

Amit Kr. Basumatary

ACTION Personal Trainer Certification

Student of

Stay Fit Live Pure Fitness Academy

• Share on Facebook