Can Strength Training Help You to Live Longer?

If you are not engaging in strength or resistance training, the chances are high that you will lose strength and become less functional as you age.

STRENGTH TRAINING & BONE HEALTH

Inactivity, poor nutrition, and age-related changes, all help to reduce bone mass at the rate of approximately 1% per year after age 40.   As a result, after a minor fall, our bones are more fragile and thus likely to break after minor stress or tension.

Osteoporosis, the loss of bone mass, is an important concern as we age. Osteoporosis, which is responsible for more than two million fractures year, affects nearly 10 million people in the US (8 million women, 2 million men). In fact, in the five to seven years after menopause, women lose up to 20 percent or more of their bone density. Women ages 65 to 70 who experience a fracture around the hip joint are five times more likely to die within a year than women of the same age that don’t experience a fracture around the hip joint.

According to research, strength training can help to reduce the pace of bone loss, while some studies have demonstrated that such training can actually help to build bone. Movements and exercises that place stress on bones actually help to form additional calcium deposits and stimulate bone forming cells. The combination of positive stress on bone from aerobic and strength training leads to stronger, denser and more functional bone.

Progressive resistance training (PRT), using free weights (barbells and dumbbells) or machines with adjustable tensions, increases muscle mass and power even in someone with chronic illness. Potential health benefits of PRT include better balance and steadier walking. That means fewer falls, improved mental alertness and less symptoms related to depression. PRT, like aerobic exercise, seems to improve immune function in some people.

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EXAMPLE OF A STRENGTH TRAINING ROUTINE

From Harvard Health Publishing

There are many variations of successful progressive-resistance-training routines. As an example, here is one that works the upper body:

1. Chest press -- Lying on a flat bench (you can lift feet up on the bench to prevent hyperextension of the spine), extend a barbell or dumbbells overhead, palms facing forward. Lower the weight until your elbows are parallel with your shoulders. (This primarily works the chest, but also the back of the arms and the front of the shoulders.)

2. Shoulder press -- either with dumbbells or a barbell -- This can be done standing or seated to prevent hyperextension of the spine. With an overhand grip, bring dumbbells or a barbell to shoulder level. Lift weight to a vertical position over your head. (This works all three parts of the shoulder as well as the back of the arms and upper back.)

3. Tricep pushdowns -- Stand facing a high pulley with a straight bar attachment. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent. Take an overhand grip on the bar at shoulder-width. As you push the weight down, straightening your arms, keep your elbows close to your sides -- do not let them splay out. Slowly bring the weight up until your hands are parallel with your elbows and repeat. (This works all muscles on the back of the arms.)

4. Seated row -- Sit facing the machine. Place your feet against the foot rests with your knees slightly bent. Grab the pulley in front of you and stretch until your back is straight. Keeping your back still, protract your shoulders as your bring the weight in front of you. This is the starting position. Begin the exercise by pulling the weight towards your torso to your lower rib cage. Keeping your arms close to the body, bring your elbows back, contracting your shoulder blades. (This works all the muscles in your back as well as the front of your arms and the back of your shoulders.)

5. Bicep curls -- Grab a barbell or dumbbells with an underhand grip. Extend your arms and bring your hands to slightly wider than shoulder width. Keeping your back straight and knees slightly bent, curl the weight up toward your chest and contract your biceps. Slowly extend arms to the starting position. (This works the front of the arms and the front of the shoulders.)

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It is recommended that you always do light aerobic exercise for about 10 minutes prior to starting a resistance-training session to warm up your muscles.

For each of the above exercises, perform a series based upon your estimated one rep max-out.

1. Set the weight at 60 percent of your estimated one rep max-out. Do 12 reps.

2. Move the weight up to 80 percent of your estimated one rep max-out. Do eight reps.

3. Move the weight up to your max. Do only one or two reps.

4. Move the weight back down to the 80 percent mark. Do eight more reps.

5. Gently stretch that muscle group following the routine.

If you find that you can easily perform the routine in two successive sessions, you can increase your estimated one-rep max out by five to 10 pounds.

Every other day is the maximum frequency to perform resistance training. You need at least 48 hours to allow for muscle recovery.

As we age, strength training can make a big difference in alleviating some of the aches and pains of everyday life, making it possible to do essential daily activities like standing up and sitting down, picking things up off the ground, twisting, lifting, and bending!

Here are some additional benefits of strength training:

1. Improves Bone Health
Bone fractures and breaks are all too common in older adults because of loss of bone density and osteoporosis. There can be other causes of osteoporosis and it may need to be managed medically. However, there is plenty of evidence that exercise can improve bone density. Osteoporosis can also be prevented and treated through strength training. Like muscles, bones become stronger when they are active. Weight-bearing exercise strengthens bones by making them produce more cells.

2. Improves Functional Ability/Movement
Increasing strength through training is essential for improving overall day to day functions. Older adults can gain more mobility, walk a greater distance and even reduce the need for assistive devices like sticks and walkers with regular strength training.

Building strength also helps with all kinds of other functional movements like walking, sitting on and getting up from a chair/bed, climbing stairs, carrying groceries, etc. This in turn just makes life easier and gives you the confidence to involve yourself in many other activities you always wanted to do. 

3. Boosts Metabolism
Strength training is one of the best ways to boost your metabolism (the rate your resting body burns calories throughout the day). When you do strength training, your body demands more energy based on how much energy you’re exerting. That means some calories are burned during the workout and more calories are burned after the workout while your body is recovering to a resting state. Also, Testosterone and DHEA, the hormones that affect strength and energy levels, decrease as you age.  But with regular strength training, these levels can be enhanced within 8-12 weeks.

4. Improves Brain Health
Getting older can put you at risk for loneliness and social isolation, depression and other mental health issues. Building strength which increases mobility, function and improves overall health, also boosts your mood and overall quality of life. Resistance training can also slow down the cognitive decline associated with aging. Lifting weights improves memory, attention span and the ability to resolve conflicts.

5. Improves Health Conditions
Strength training reduces blood sugar levels and improves sensitivity to the hormone insulin, which helps blood sugar get inside the cells and thus improves the way the body uses the blood sugar. If strength training is properly applied, it simultaneously engages both the muscular system and the cardiovascular system. When our muscles are stronger, there is less demand placed on the heart. This allows the lungs to process more oxygen with less effort. The heart pumps more blood with fewer beats and the blood supply directed to your muscles is increased.