Exercise as You Age

If think exercising in your 20s is tough, just imagine 25 years from now. Imagine trying to lift that 400 lb deadlift when you’re joints are running thin on cartilage, you’re back is still tight from last week, and you know you will probably still not fully recover by the next deadlift day. Should I quit? No, just modify your training and put some thought into how you will recover.

The whole idea when you age is to strategize to maintain your body in such a way that will allow you to exercise as long as possible. This no long means that you are seeking to barely walk after you get done with a workout. You must be smart and listen to your body. Use exertion and pain to determine how you approach resistance and cardio exercise. “It’s the nature of the body to lose muscle mass and bone density,” says Bryan Ruggles, a physical therapist at IU Health Sports Performance. “Our fitness goal for the elderly is to slow that natural process. Progressively decreasing the intensity of your exercise as you age allows you to exercise longer throughout your life.” 3) By lowering the intensity, Ruggles means, for example, that during lifting you must lower the weight of your lift but maintain or even increase the volume.

As you age, you need to be concerned about three aspects of health: strength, cardiovascular conditioning, and balance. The main reason these are important is “that most elderly injuries are caused by falling. About two thirds of these injuries are bone fractures, the hip fracture being the most common.” 1) So you must continue to exercise with lifts that are loading the entire spine to prevent osteoporosis, like the barbell squat. You just need to be careful of exactly how much stress you put those joints under, it is a delicate balance. Try to concentrate on lifting a weight that challenges you for 12-15 repetitions. Incorporate single leg exercises, like a step up or single leg deadlift, to help with balance and your core stability. As for cardiovascular conditioning, try to steer away from high impact exercises, like running or squat jumps, and start to incorporate exercises like bike riding or swimming into your routine. No need to go for two hours either on conditioning, “20-45 minutes of elevated heart rate most days of the week is plenty for required heart health.” 2)

As you age, please don’t shy away from exercise. The research supporting resistance and cardiovascular conditioning supports health benefits for the elderly, you just need to be intelligent how you go about programming your workouts. Decrease the intensity, but increase your volume. Load the entire spine through compound movements such as squat, while working in single leg exercises for balance and core stability. Learn to love conditioning activities that are kinder to your joints, which will improve longevity.

1) Kannus, P. (1999). Preventing osteoporosis, falls, and fractures among elderly

people. Bmj, 318(7178), 205-206.

2) Nied, R. J., & Franklin, B. (2002). Promoting and prescribing exercise for the

elderly. American Family Physician, 65(3), 419-426.

3) Should exercise change with age? (2012, December 26). Retrieved October 27, 2014, from  

http://iuhealth.org/blog/detail/should-exercise-change-with-age/#.VJ4NyGddWq