Last week, I covered the importance of cardio training as it relates to longevity, pointing out the benefits of training in Zone 2 as well as improving your VO2 Max. As important as cardio is to maintaining a healthy lifestyle in our later years, it’s equally, if not more important to focus on strength training. Consider these data points.
Typically, muscle mass and strength increase steadily from birth and reach their peak at around 30 to 35 years of age. After that, muscle power and performance decline slowly and linearly at first, and then faster after age 65 for women and 70 for men.
While it varies by study, up to one-third of people over the age of 65 who fracture their hip are dead within a year.
About 30% of adults over age 70 have trouble with walking, getting up out of a chair, or climbing stairs. In addition to making everyday tasks difficult, mobility limitations are also linked to higher rates of falls, chronic disease, nursing home admission, and mortality.
According to Andy Galpin, a professor of kinesiology at California State University, Fullerton, and one of the foremost authorities on strength and performance, we lose muscle strength about two to three times more quickly than we lose muscle mass. And we lose power (strength x speed) two to three times faster than we lose strength. (Source: Outlive, by Dr. Peter Attia)
I’m 53 years old and much closer to age 65 than to age 35, so when I read this stuff, it really hits home, especially after recovering from a major injury. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to return to a regular fitness routine, but I also recognize that it took quite a while to achieve the fitness levels I was at prior to the injury, so I can only imagine what it would have been like had I not already been following a consistent fitness routine.
I’ve used strength training to improve my performance in other areas of my fitness life, especially for my running, and I’ve long understood the benefits in combatting the loss of power, muscle mass and strength as we age. After reading Dr. Peter Attia’s book, Outlive, I’ve come to the realization that strength training is not only beneficial, but NECESSARY in terms of being able to do the things I want to be able now and later in life.
I mentioned last week that Dr. Attia presents his approach to exercise in terms of the Centenarian Decathlon, which equates to training yourself to be able to do the things you will want to be able to do when you are in your 70’s and 80’s (e.g., picking up a grandchild, hiking up a mountain, etc.). More specifically, his training focuses on exercises that improve the following:
Grip Strength
Concentric and eccentric loading (e.g., the ability to lift weight up and put it back down slowly.
Pulling motions at all angles
Hip-hinging movements (deadlifts, squats and other variants)
If you’re new to strength training, this can seem daunting. And if you’ve been following a specific strength training plan, you may be questioning whether you are doing the right things. I certainly did. But I also think that it’s important to remember that establishing a consistent habit is the most important aspect of sticking to any fitness routine. And whatever you are doing is going to be better than doing nothing at all. In other words, you don’t need to jump into heavy deadlifts and squats right away to experience the benefits of strength training.
Where to Start
Strength training is about resistance. That resistance can come from free weights, machines, resistance bands, or even your own body weight. In fact, body weight exercises offer the easiest path to adding strength training to your routine. It can be done anywhere and doesn’t require ANY equipment (in most cases) at all. Some examples include:
Push-ups - Push-ups are great for so many things. It’s one of those exercises that works multiple muscle groups and depending on how wide or close together your hands are or whether you are in an incline or decline position, they can be used to target specific muscle groups.
Pull ups - if you happen to have a pull up bar, aside from push-ups, pull-ups are incredibly effective. Again, depending on the width of your grip, pull ups can target your back, biceps, forearms, core and shoulders. They’re not easy to do and it will take time to build up your strength, but is an incredibly effective exercise.
Chair dips - using a chair, position your hands on the edge of the chair, while your feet are either on the floor or are resting on another chair. Move your body up and down. Very effective for building tricep strength.
Body weight squats - no weight, no problem. As is the case with the other exercises mentioned, body weight squats can be modified to target different muscle groups in your legs and glutes. Super effective and requires absolutely no equipment.
Core work - core strength is absolutely critical to almost everything we do and it’s another area that has a number of exercises that work various parts of your core. Core exercises train the muscles in your core to work in harmony. This leads to better balance and steadiness.
How Often Should You Strength Train
Most experts say that you will achieve the benefits of a strength training program by training 2-3 times per week. If you’re going to train your entire body, I would suggest starting with two days per week and working up to 3 times per week. If you are training different muscle groups on different days, as long as you are giving your body time to rest (e.g., at least 48 hours), you can strength train more often.
Programming Your Training
While not necessary, I would recommend some form of guided workouts, especially if you’re just starting out. I use Peloton as you well know, but I’ve also tried Apple Fitness, P90X and even YouTube videos from time to time to guide me through the workout. There are several benefits to using a structured, guided workout via a platform:
Removes the guesswork
Variability - As long as you’re not taking the same classes each time, you’ll build variability in your workouts.
Accountability - This approach allows me to schedule my workouts in advance based on the training plan for that day, plus it has the added benefit of being able to refer back to my workout to see what exercises I actually completed.
Workout Filters - Through the Peloton app, I can filter my workouts in terms of body activity, time, music genre and whether I’m using weights or my own body weight in my workouts.
Instruction - There may be exercises that you’ll be doing for the first time. Using guided workouts allow you to see how to properly execute the exercise to maximize the benefits while minimizing your chances for injury.
I strength train 3 of those 6 days and structure my workouts in the following way
Days 1 and 3 (50 Minutes)
10 Minutes of Shoulders and Arms
10 Minutes of Chest and Back
10 Minutes of Legs and Glutes
10 Minutes of Core
10 Minutes of Stretching or Yoga
Day 2 (30 Minutes)
Full Body Workout
30 Minutes of Lighter Cardio
For my strength training days 1 and 3, I don’t do any cardio at all. For my Day 2, I add in light cardio (by light, I am referring to the intensity of the workout). You’ll notice that I break up my longer training sessions into 10 minute increments. I’ve found, through trial and error that on the Peloton platform, 10 minute workouts are more intense with far less rest time than say a 20 minute workout that focuses on the same muscle group. The other benefit is that it allows for a clean break after each 10 minute increment should something unexpected arise.
Summary
Incorporating strength training into your fitness routine offers many health benefits, including improving your strength and stability as you age. If you’re interested in the science and the why, along with Dr. Attia’s approach to strength training, I would encourage you to read his book or listen to his podcast and draw your own conclusions. There are some pretty intense tests and workouts that he uses with his own patients (like being able to carry your own bodyweight in weights) and while I absolutely buy into the science and research, getting started with strength training should be easy and enjoyable. Additionally, if you’re interested in a custom workout based on our goals, feel free to reach out.
If you find value in these posts, please consider sharing with a family member, colleague or friend. Next week’s post will focus on getting back to the basics as spring is right around the corner. Until then, happy training!