In the war on aging, nothing beats strength training. It’s the single most effective way for seniors to create younger-looking bodies by overcoming the loss of muscle (atrophy) and loss of bones (osteoporosis).
Lifting and pulling weights builds muscles, improves bone density, improves metabolic pathways and slows cellular degeneration and mitochondria dysfunction. Plus, strength training improves balance and resistance to falls—which can be deadly for seniors.
In my last post, I shared tips on using weight machines. These are great for seniors just beginning a strength training program. But in my opinion, free weights provide more bang for your buck. If you have limited time to train and want to get a lot accomplished with few exercises, then free weights are the way to go.
Free Weights = Flexibility
Free weights consist of dumbbells, bars with weighted plates, and weights attached to cable pulley machines. They allow a fuller range of motion―you have complete freedom to move around rather than being locked into a specific range of motion or pattern like on the machines.
This allows your body to do what it is naturally built to do: move freely. With free weight movements you engage smaller muscles, ligaments, and tendons surrounding the joints, to stabilize the movement.
This extra work keeps joints healthy and strong when done properly. You are strengthening all the components of a joint as well as the muscles. This is important as we grow older, lose some of our natural balance, and become prone to tripping or falling. Strong joints mean we can catch ourselves and avoid a full fall.
You can also vary your routine with free weights. With machines, you are limited to what each machine is designed to do. One machine usually works only one set of muscles. Conversely, all you need is one dumbbell and you can do hundreds of different variations: pulling, pushing, circles—you name it. You can do compound exercises involving several body parts and muscle groups, as in dead lifts and lunges.
Free Weights = Freedom
When you’ve learned to train with free weights and use your own body weight, you can train anywhere. Machines and equipment aren’t always available. When Rob and I go on vacation and travel by car, it is easy to bring a kettlebell, some elastic bands, and some light dumbbells to get in some quality training.
Free weights are also the way to go if you don’t have access to a gym: they are much less expensive and take less space than machines. You can easily build a basic home gym for under $200. Nevertheless, Rob and I highly recommend joining a gym and starting with machines or a mix of machines and free weights before advancing to a more intense resistant weight-training program.
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