Though this blog is intended for Masters athletes, this post applies to all of those who are middle aged and older.
I also am a passionate advocate for strength training because it has been much maligned and misunderstood throughout the years and has been the "poor stepchild" to the almighty aerobics "god." Not only is such an approach misinformed it is a great disservice to the general public who have prioritized "cardio training" for years at the expense of the huge benefits they could derive from an appropriately designed strength training program.
Being strong and staying strong may be the single best thing you can do for yourself in the physical training realm as you age. It is as close to the fountain of youth as there currently is and there is nothing on the horizon that will replace it.
But you have to work at it consistently. You will lose 5-10% of your muscle mass every decade after the age of 40 and the process accelerates after age 65. That is, unless, you strength train.
Stronger men have a lower risk of dying from all causes (Ruiz, etal, BMJ, July, 2008).
Strength is the most important factor in fall prevention, the performance of ADLs, balance and walking (Journal of American Geriatrics Society, volume 49, 2001).
You have to think of strength much like money...the less you have of it, the more important it is. If a 40 yr. old loses say 30% of their strength they, more than likely, will still have the capacity to go about their daily lives without too much difficulty.
But if a 75 yr. old loses only half of that, say 15%, that could be the difference between living independently and assisted living. There simply is no margin for error.
So no matter your current condition, your injury history, or even your age, you can get stronger with a good, sound, well designed strength program. It is never too late to start and reap the benefits of the fountain of youth, strength training!
Train hard and train smart!
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