As a matter of actual fact, strength does matter. For many, this may be an obvious statement, but for some they may feel indifferent about it. And still others do not understand the value of or perhaps appreciate the importance of strength - what it takes to achieve it, nor the numerous benefits of greater muscle mass.
Strength training is now often pushed for our youth athletes. This is, in general, a very good thing, as we know when done well, not only does it improve performance, but it also lowers the risk of injuries and shortens recovery time if an injury does occur. A massive side benefit is the opportunity for kids to learn how to train and create good habits that can be maintained for hopefully a lifetime. One important demographic for us at Mac-Town is the youth that DON’T play sports or have access to this type of strength training. That’s the core driving force behind our free Forging Youth Resilience Program. Every kid should have access to exercise and coaching on how to strength train properly! Strength matters no matter the age!
The benefits of strength training go way beyond sport, though. Improved strength makes every day tasks easier. This does become more and more important as we age. The adage “we don’t stop moving because we age, we age because we stop moving” is very true. Yes, there are some inevitable changes with age. But, nothing combats the aging process more than strength and muscle mass. Congruently, increased muscle mass improves metabolism and brain function, including a decreased risk of Alzheimers (Healthline.com). Conversely, loss of or low muscle mass correlates to muscle disease (Kim & Kim). The health benefits, both mentally and physically, can't be understated and it is genuinely NEVER too late to start! Many of our Legends(60+) clients started training later in life and have reaped enormous benefits!
Improved strength makes everyday tasks easier, which could mean heavier, perhaps infrequent tasks such as moving furniture or heavy boxes, but the numerous simple daily tasks, standing up, kneeling down and getting back up, going up and down stairs, are the reasons we need to keep our strength as a focus! A key principle in strength training is to challenge your body in positions that you will need to be in. This can be done with a variety of objects: dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells and more! This allows your body to maintain and increase good mobility so that you can get into and move through various positions. Again, a good deadlift (perhaps, single leg deadlift) is rehearsing your ability to pick up a package off your front porch. The ability to get into a half kneeling position to tie your shoe and then stand back up is mimicked through movements such as the lunge or turkish get up. At first, you might think it's not necessary, but look at how seamlessly a small child can do it versus an older adult. Besides the aging aspect, one thing that gets overlooked is the increased weight gain that can come with agin. It may seem intuitive, but a 100-lb person standing up is going to need less strength than someone who is 200 pounds. A common response to that may be “ I just need to lose weight”, which yes could be helpful, but increased strength will help too! And as mentioned before, more muscle mass increases metabolism so win win!
So, what we know for sure is that improved strength should be a goal for everyone aged 0 - death. Getting stronger takes time and gaining muscle mass takes even more time. The sooner you start the process, the more you can put in your reserves. This goes a long way to maintaining functional independence as you age. Furthermore, if you already feel like you are “too old” for this, you are incorrect. That statement should sound an alarm in your head that NOW is the time to start. If you are ready to go, come and join the fun with either our groups or in personal training. If you are a little hesitant, that's ok, we get it. If you need some help/guidance getting started or going again, let’s chat!.
1: Building Lean Muscle May Help Decrease Risk of Alzheimer's Disease. Healthline.com.
2:Impact of Skeletal Muscle Mass on Metabolic Health. Kim & Kim.
