Getting started with strength training as an older adult: Basic body weight exercises!
So you’re thinking of adding some strength training to your routine? Excellent idea! Strength training is beneficial in so many ways. Reducing fat, increasing muscle mass, reducing the risk of osteoporosis or osteopenia, improving your balance, improving your overall strength, and improving your mental health are just a few of the well-known benefits. But if you’ve never done it before, or it’s been years, where do you start?
If you sign up for a gym membership, a lot of times you’ll receive a new member consultation with a trainer. Especially if you’re new to strength training, many times you’ll be set up with a machine circuit. In other words, the trainer will take you around and show you a series of machines that will help you work all major muscle groups, and a few minor ones too. The advantage to doing your workout on machines is that you’re less likely to get injured, and it’s a great place to start for someone who has been sedentary or away from strength training for a while. However, there are some downsides to sticking with a machine based exercise routine.
While they tend to be safer, machines only work the specific muscles they were designed to work, in a specific and limited range of motion. In other words, the surrounding and supporting muscles are not being used, or used very little. Other disadvantages include strain on knees, shoulders, or hips if the machine is used with too great of a range of motion or too much weight. The problem is, you don’t know what you don’t know, so a lot of people assume that it’s safe to put a lot of weight on there and just go! That’s where a good trainer comes in. Make sure you have someone teach you how to correctly use the machines in a safe and effective manner.
A weight machine circuit is certainly better than no strength training routine, and free weights are often intimidating to people who are new to the gym environment. But what about bodyweight exercises? You can get a great full-body routine with just a few basic exercises.
Here’s the first reason for moving on from machines: Both your body and mind will end up stuck in a rut if you do the same work out for too long. Your muscles, tendons, and ligaments will adapt to the forces placed on them. If you’re not making any changes to your routine, you will likely find yourself in a plateau after a few weeks. Your mind will likely get bored as well, and who wants to continue doing a boring workout?
Second, a workout based on bodyweight exercises recruits those surrounding and supporting muscle groups mentioned earlier. You will have to use your core muscles (yes, you have them!) to help stabilize your body in place. It also gets you away from being forced into a limited range of motion that is determined by a machine that’s one size fits all. With free weights, you can change the position of your arms, legs, or torso to accommodate what is right for your body.
Third, the workout has so much more variety! There are endless variations of exercises that can be done, and everyone will have their own opinion on which are the best. If you are new to strength training, it’s best to keep it simple with some basic exercises. Once you have those down really well, you can start adding on.
I generally start clients out with one set of each exercise, 15 to 20 repetitions. Rather than increasing repetitions beyond that point, it’s then time to increase the difficulty of the exercise or add free weight options. Remember that the ultimate goal is time under tension (TOT) for the muscles, so faster is not better! Make sure to do all repetitions at a moderate pace and under control, without any momentum.
For clarity, one repetition is usually the contract/release or the concentric/eccentric movement of a particular exercise. Thinking of a bicep curl, the contract is bending the elbow and bringing the weight up toward your shoulder, and the release is lowering it back down. All exercises are considered concentric/eccentric unless they are an isometric exercise. Isometric means that you are contracting the muscles and holding in that position; think of a plank or boat pose. One set means all of the repetitions that you are able to do until the muscles are too fatigued to do any more with good form.
Here are some of my favorites that I use to get a client started on a brand new routine:
Lower body exercise: one of the most useful things you can do is practice being able to sit down to a chair and stand back up again. So that’s what I have my client do! You can vary the height of the bench depending on your ability, and you don’t have to go all the way down if your knees hurt after a certain depth or range of motion. Simply stand in front of a bench or chair with the feet about hip to shoulder width apart, depending upon your preference. You can hold some light dumbbells to increase the intensity of the exercise. Sit down as close as you can toward the bench or chair, and make sure that you press the tailbone back so that the top of the pelvis tilts forward and you are sitting back in your heels as you squat down. Be sure to keep the chest up, shoulders back, and chin lifted. If possible, lightly tap the bench or chair and then stand all the way back up. Repeat 15 to 20 times if you can.
Pushing exercise: I often begin with wall push-ups for a new client, because they are easier than regular push-ups and a great way to establish form, technique, and feel the muscles working correctly. Place the hands on a wall wider than shoulder width, but at the height of the shoulders. Step back with both feet and engage the core so that the hips stay in a straight line. Bend the elbows so that your forehead is moving toward the wall, but be sure not to lead with your nose, which is a common mistake! As you push off from the wall, pretend that you are trying to shove the wall away from you as hard as possible. This helps you to feel the contraction in the pectorals. If the exercise is too easy, you can step back further, or do the push-ups with the hands placed on a bench, which is harder than wall push-ups but easier than floor push-ups. Go for 15 to 20 repetitions.
Pulling exercise: grab an exercise band with handles, or if you don’t have access to one, a physical therapy style stretchy band will work as well. Attach it to an anchor point such as a post or door frame. Make sure that it is securely anchored. Take a big step back with both feet, and bend the knees like you are water skiing. You are holding onto the band or handles with the same length on each side. Now do a rowing motion by bringing the elbows back and pulling the shoulder blades in towards each other. Keep the chest lifted and chin up. If it’s too easy, you can step back further from the anchor point. Be sure not to elevate the shoulders as they will often attempt to assist in this exercise! You are working with the large muscles of the upper back, the rhomboids and latissimus dorsi. Go for 15 to 20 repetitions.
Core exercise: plank. Many of us dislike planks because they are hard, and they are! But they are also one of the most effective and yet safe exercises for the core. Some older people are unable to do traditional crunching/forward flexion movements or arching/hyper extension movements due to spinal issues. The plank is an isometric exercise where are you are contracting and holding the muscles. Begin by lying on your stomach on a mat, and tuck your elbows under your shoulders. Then lift up onto your toes. Make sure that your hips are not too high or too low, as you want to create a straight line from shoulders to ankles while engaging the abs. Just don’t forget to breathe! If this is a bit too challenging, you can do a bench plank where you are placing your forearms on the bench instead of on the mat. This exercise is being held for time. Start with 10 seconds and try to slowly increase the amount of time you are able to hold your plank position.
Lower back exercise: bridge. This is a generally safe exercise for most people, but feel free to modify it if it causes any pain to you. There are lots of ways to do this and many folks have done it in yoga before. Try this variation: lie on your back on a mat with your head, neck, and arms relaxed. Place the soles of your feet down and have your knees bent. Now engage the glutes and lift your hips up, hold for just a moment at the top, and slowly lower back down. Lightly tap the mat and then begin your next rep. If it’s too easy, move your feet further away from your body. Go for 20 to 25 reps on this exercise.
Balance exercise: one of the best is the heel toe walk. Stand near a wall for support and walk so that the heel of the front foot touches the toes of the back foot. Make sure not to speed up, and to bring the feet all the way together. If it’s easy, you can perform the same exercise on a very low balance beam or try closing your eyes as you do it.
These are some of the basics to help you get started on your strength training journey! Once you have mastered these, you can begin exploring free weight options or adding specific muscle exercises for shoulders, biceps, triceps, quadriceps, hamstrings, obliques, etc. If you are unsure how to proceed, a qualified personal trainer can help you with learning the exercises and maintaining good form so that you get the most benefit with the very lowest risk of injury.
Now get out there and start getting stronger!
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