As we age, it’s common to experience a loss of muscle mass and strength. This age-related decline, known as sarcopenia, can significantly impact the quality of life. Physically inactive individuals may lose 3% to 5% of their muscle mass per decade, starting around age 30 to 35. The rate of muscle loss accelerates after age 65, making it increasingly difficult to perform everyday tasks such as rising from a chair, climbing stairs, or carrying groceries. Sarcopenia also affects balance and gait, increasing the risk of falls, fractures, and physical disability.
Fortunately, there is growing awareness of the importance of strength training to combat these effects. Preventing sarcopenia involves maximizing muscle mass in youth and young adulthood, maintaining it in middle age, and minimizing its loss in later years. Regular physical activity, particularly strength training, plays a key role in achieving this. Beyond preserving muscle, strength training offers other health benefits, including improved bone density, arthritis management, reduced risk of chronic diseases (like heart disease and diabetes), and enhanced mental health and stress relief.
What is Strength Training?
Strength, or resistance, training involves increasing muscle strength by working against a weight or force. This can include your body weight, dumbbells, resistance bands, or weight machines. General guidelines recommend strength training two to three times per week, ensuring the muscles are sufficiently challenged or “overloaded.” Exercises may target specific muscles or engage multiple muscle groups through compound movements like squats and deadlifts.
Getting Started with Strength Training
If you’re new to strength training, start by consulting your doctor to ensure it’s safe for you. Next, consider working with a personal trainer or physical therapist to develop a progressive plan. Begin with bodyweight exercises like squats, step-ups, or wall push-ups, or use resistance bands. Gradually increase to heavier weights, such as dumbbells, kettlebells, or barbells, as your strength improves.
It’s essential to distinguish strength training from endurance training. For strength, aim for 8–12 repetitions (reps) per exercise, performing two sets where the last few reps feel challenging. If you can easily complete 15–20 reps, you build endurance rather than strength.
Making it a Habit
The key to success with strength training is consistency. For those who dislike the gym, simple exercises with resistance bands or dumbbells can be done at home. Alternatively, you can make it social by working out with a partner or joining a class.
Even if you prefer cardiovascular activities like running, cycling, or swimming, it’s crucial to incorporate strength training at least twice a week. In fact, in the running population I manage, research has shown that strength training improves running performance and helps prevent injuries — benefits that extend to all active individuals.
Mark Temme is a physical therapist at OrthoSouth who specializes in the management of running injuries. He has run multiple marathons, including a sub-three-hour Boston marathon at age 54. He attributes this largely in part to regular strength training.
By Mark Temme, PT, OCS, Dip MDT, CMP
