Stay Strong to Stay Young

We tend to think of aging as a process by which we inherently become less strong and physically capable over time, but current research has found that this is far from inevitable.

Strength training consistently over the course of one’s life not only keeps you in comparatively better shape than others your age, but it actually allows you to equal or exceed the strength and physical capacity of someone much younger.

How much younger?

Well, one recent study found that people in their 70’s who had been doing regular strength training for most of their lives actually performed better on a strength test than generally healthy, active people in their… 20’s!

Yes – they were stronger than people 50 years younger!

As someone who sees patients of all different ages and in all different conditions, and someone who has done strength training most of my life, I have repeatedly seen the difference that exercise makes in how people age. After thinking about it, I can believe the 50 year figure, even though I was pretty surprised to read it the first time.

Now, those 70 year olds paid their dues – they had been strength training for decades. In addition to performing better on the strength test (in this case, a leg press), their tissue analysis showed cellular muscle characteristics that were comparable to their younger test subject counterparts.

As we age, there is a natural tendency for our muscle cells to shift more towards what’s called Type I. These muscle fibers have less power output, although they can maintain what output they have for a longer period of time. In young, healthy people, as well as in the older individuals who had done strength training for decades, there is usually a predominance of Type II muscle fibers, which have a significantly higher power output, but over a shorter period of time.

Both types of muscle are useful, but for different circumstances. If you’re an endurance athlete, for example, you want more Type I, and this was the situation found in the muscle analysis in older subjects who had done consistent endurance training for most of their lives.

If you’re not an endurance athlete, or perhaps engage in some type of work that requires a lot of endurance, most daily life activities are made easier with the greater strength and muscle power of Type II muscle fibers. Things like getting out of a chair, carrying groceries, doing housework, or moving furniture around, are all easier with greater strength.

Now, people in their 70’s who are lifetime strength trainers are definitely in the minority. If you’re in that age group or older, and you haven’t been working out most of your life, the knowledge that you’d probably be a lot better off now if you had probably doesn’t seem all that helpful.

But the good news is, although you may not be able to turn back the clock to keep up with 20 year olds, it’s not too late to still benefit considerably from consistent strength training. You can build muscle strength at any age, it just takes a bit longer as we get older.

If you’re still pretty young, and you haven’t been big on strength training to this point, you might want to reconsider. Think about what you want your life to be like at 70.

Strength training doesn’t necessarily mean going to a gym and “pumping iron.” That’s a great way to build muscle if you’re into it, but not so great if you hate the idea of lifting weights.

There’s a number of activities and exercises that to greater or lesser degrees build muscle strength. Some activities, such as racquet sports, require endurance, but also build strength with quick starts and stops. Basketball builds power with jumping and taking shots on the basket.

Even some activities that are primarily endurance-focused can be shifted towards strength-building with modifications or devices to provide increased resistance. For example, running or walking on an upward incline requires more power output from the legs.

Even activities that are not usually thought of as exercise can build strength, such as the lifting and moving heavy items when gardening.

And if you do want to do more “pure” strength-training, you don’t have to go to a gym if you don’t want to. There’s numerous home exercise machines and devices that provide resistance with actual weights, elastic bands, etc..

Finally, there’s several body weight exercises that can help build strength. Good old push-ups, squats, and other exercises (just search for “body weight exercises” in any search engine for a good variety) can be done just about anywhere with none to minimal equipment.

The bottom line is, regardless of your age, if you’ve been doing strength training consistently, it’s strongly recommended that you continue to do it for the rest of your life. If you haven’t, and you want to make your future life a lot better, you might want to consider getting started.

Until next time…

George F. Best, D.C.