Written by Ben Sonnenburg
As people get older, it is not uncommon to hear of joints aching or to see someone that is very hunched over. Some may think it is the reality of life– growing old, struggling to walk around, being tired all day, and being in pain.
However, this does not have to be the case. People are not destined to live in pain, to have inability to move, or to struggle to walk properly.
It is possible for elderly people to be able to perform daily functions they were used to when they were younger.
An article titled "Impact of Strength Training Program on Physical fitness and psychical condition for Elderly women” describes an eight week intervention that was performed and its impact on strength and mental conditions. Over the course of eight weeks, each of the participants were trained three times a week while there was also a control group, which was given zero training.
The group with the training showed improvements with depression, mental health, weight loss, and strength gains throughout their entire body. On the other hand, the control group experienced zero changes in their BMI or strength (Abramaviciute, Zaicenkoviene, 2013).
That article depicts an eight week strength training program.
Imagine what would happen if more time was spent training on a consistent basis. More improvements would compound, and trainees would get even stronger.
Every person, especially as they get older, should be involved in strength training, as it has demonstrated improvements across the board in strength and has the capacity to make someone feel better each day.
With proper supervision and guidance in functional strength training, people’s mobility can increase as well.
At Bean’s Fitness, our aim is to help the elderly get stronger, to not be hunched over anymore, and to allow them to be able to do what they were capable of when they were younger.
Though the potential is obviously not as high, there will be no change unless YOU make an effort to Be Fit.
Reference:
Abramavičiūtė, V., & Zaičenkovienė, K. (2013). Impact of Strength Training Program on Physical Fitness and Psychical Condition for Elderly Women. / Jogos Pratybos Silpnai Veikia Vidutinio Amžiaus Moterų Ir Vyrų Kvėpavimo Rodiklius Ramybėje. Education. Physical Training. Sport, 88(1), 3–8.