Resistance training, also known as strength or weight training, is important as we age.
We progressively lose muscle mass and function as we get older. This is called Sarcopenia. Symptoms of Sarcopenia include; falling, walking slowly, difficulty performing daily tasks and increased disability and pain.
After the age of 30, we begin to lose as much as 3% to 5% of muscle mass per decade.
Resistance training simply means using your own body weight or with the use of dumbbells, barbells or resistance bands.
Unfortunately, cardiovascular training alone will not prevent muscle loss. Cardiovascular training is vital for heart health because the easier it is to pump blood through your body, the less taxing it is for your heart. However, the importance of resistance training is clear in maintaining overall health as we age.
Furthermore, when you perform resistance training, it creates microscopic tears in your muscles. The body quickly repairs and regenerates the cells which grow stronger.
Some benefits of resistance training include:
It is clear that resistance training is important for quality of life as we age.
Resistance training exercises include; Squats, Lunges, Pull ups, Push ups and Bench press to name a few!
At Back On Track, we provide 1 to 1 Personal Training and Small Group Personal Training.
As part of these training sessions, we ensure resistance training is a key part of our training plans for all our members.
If you would like to read more about our health and fitness services, please click here or contact us!
