You can't outrun muscle loss. Even active people who don't strength train will lose significant amounts of muscle mass and bone losses are parallel. The combination of decreased muscle and bone puts you at risk for fractures due to falls.
Did you know that adults over the age of 30, who don't strength train, experience roughly half a pound a year in muscle loss? That's a big problem. The good news is that it can change. The benefits of performing weight training are very robust and essential. Let's take a deeper look into a few other major benefits.
MORE MUSCLE EQUALS MORE METABOLISM
The most important reason you should be lifting weights is to lose fat and build muscle. The effect that lifting weights has on your body composition is profound. The more muscle a woman has, the more calories she will burn at rest. So basically, muscles speed up your #metabolism, resulting in fat loss.
BONE HEALTH
If you are around the age of 30, you probably aren't thinking about #osteoporosis quite yet, but you should be. Many studies have shown that lifting weights regularly can increase bone density.
STRONG MAKES EVERYTHING EASIER
I'm a big believer that we can keep our independence as long as we take care of our bodies and can do things ourselves. It would feel great if you didn't need someone to do everything for you.
CONFIDENCE
Walking into the gym knowing that you are going to crush a workout is such a confidence booster. In the past, older folks were left in the corner with the pink #dumbbells, or in water aerobics. They were self-conscious and felt out of place in the weight room. In today's gym atmosphere, I've found that most of the aging population can keep up very well with the younger folks. They work harder, push themselves, and at times have better form.
When an older person realizes their outer strength, they can tap into inner strength, and that begins to radiate. Confidence is an attractive quality and that gym confidence starts to carry over into every other aspect of life.
THE WORKOUT PROGRAM
Make sure to perform a proper dynamic warm-up that includes foam rolling, dynamic mobility, core work, medicine ball throws, and plyometrics. This should be brief, yet effective and only last 10-15 minutes.
DAY 1
Goblet squats: 8 reps
Push-ups: 8 reps
Kettlebell swings: 15-20 reps
1-arm dumbbell row: 8 reps each side
Perform these in a circuit fashion for three to five rounds. Rest as minimally as possible.
Finisher: Perform a Farmer's Walk for three to five minutes straight. Put the weights down as minimally as possible. Pick a weight that you can carry for 50 meters.
DAY 2
Deadlifts: 3-5 reps
Assisted chin-ups: 3-5 reps
Dumbbell push press: 3-5 reps
Perform these in a circuit fashion for three to five rounds. Rest as minimally as possible.
Finisher: Burpees -perform 8 rounds of 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off. Try and match your previous round's rep number each round.
DAY 3
Inverted row (TRX Row): 10-12 reps
Walking lunges: 8 reps each leg
Dumbbell chest press: 10-12 reps
Single leg deadlift: 8 reps
Perform these in a circuit fashion for three to five rounds. Rest as minimally as possible.
Finisher: Perform your favorite cardio exercise as hard as you can for 10 minutes. You can break it up into intervals if you need to. Bike, rower, stair, climber, treadmill, etc.