Why regular strength training will shower you with fitness dividends after 40

Strength training involves movement using equipment, free weights, or body weight to build muscle mass, strength, endurance, and conditioning.

If you are above 40 years, like me, incorporating strength training into your exercise routine should be a top priority. Evidence from studies shows that strength training improves overall stamina and flexibility, decreases risks of injury, protects against age-related cognitive decline, and ultimately improves quality of life.

But what is strength training? Strength training involves movement using equipment, free weights, or body weight to build muscle mass, strength, endurance, and conditioning.
 

So why strength training?
Several studies on health, fitness, wellness, and longevity have proven that there is a direct correlation between strength training and improved quality of life. At a basic level, strength training helps one to build stamina, enabling them to perform everyday tasks easily. It’s efficient in helping with weight loss as the muscle mass helps to boost metabolism, accelerating the burning of calories—during exercise and at rest.

Results of a study published by PubMed, a science and medical literature database, showed that one’s metabolism is increased significantly hours after strength training — meaning that one burns calories hours and even days after the strength training. Strength training also helps decrease the risk of injury and falling as it helps improve the mobility and flexibility of muscles, joints, and ligaments.

Peter Attia, a Canadian-American physician known for his work on longevity medicine, in his book, Outlive, The Science and Art of Longevity, notes that muscle mass is highly correlated with a lower risk of falling, a leading cause of death and disability in the elderly.

Many studies have also shown that regular strength training can improve heart health and lower blood sugar levels, meaning that it helps reduce the chances of developing cardiovascular diseases as well as the risk of developing diabetes.

Similarly, strength training is essential for bone development and critical to reducing the risk of developing degenerative bone conditions such as osteoporosis and fractures as one advances in age.

Studies have also shown that strength training may improve brain health and protect against age-related cognitive decline, with evidence pointing to significant improvements in cognitive function.

Dr Attia further demonstrates this by noting that participation in strength training was associated with lower risks of developing dementia—a neurodegenerative condition.

He emphasises the centrality of exercise (overall), terming it “powerful tool for preventing cognitive decline as it acts in multiple ways—vascular and metabolic—to preserve brain health”.

Overall and most importantly, strength training significantly improves one’s quality of life as one grows old—with a strong correlation established between resistance training and better physical functioning, mental well-being, pain management, general health, and vitality.

How can one get started?

It’s easy to set oneself on a strength training journey, realise one’s goals and reap the benefits —start slowly and make it simple.

Start with simple push-ups, body-weight squats, burpees, plunks and other body-weight exercises.

Incorporate resistance bands to increase the resistance and incorporate additional weights progressively as you become more comfortable in form, stability and movement.

Challenge your muscles to build stronger muscle mass and gain strength by progressively increasing the weight, the number of performance (reps) and rounds (sets)—what is also known as progressive overload.

So, go on, make strength training your fitness priority in 2024 and significantly improve your quality of life.

But remember to pair strength training with cardio/aerobics training as this provides more benefits, according to new research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Ms Omondi is a fitness coach and communication specialist.