The New Fountain of Youth - Strength Training for Seniors

Dr. Sully returns to discuss why strength training is absolutely essential for seniors, and how they can get stronger in their 50's and beyond. Strength training transforms the aging adult into an athlete of aging - the Masters Athlete. So, how should seniors exercise? With barbells, of course. Some modifications may be needed, but squats, presses, bench presses and deadlifts are the exercise prescription the doctor ordered.

How Should Seniors Exercise?
Nobody doesn’t need to be strong. Strength is the most fundamental fitness attribute, forming the foundation for all others. Strength is the basis for power, agility, speed, endurance, and balance. These are the capacities that allow us to meet the demands of our life and our environment.

So, everybody needs strength, which means everybody needs strength training. But nobody needs strength training more than seniors. Why? Because of all the arenas of life that demand fitness, aging is the most brutal of all. The aging process, if uncontested, is characterized by the steady loss of muscle tissue and strength, of balance and stamina, of bone density and resistance to illness and injury. Strength training preserves all of these vital tissues and capacities, which is why physicians and scientists increasingly recognize it as absolutely essential. Strength training transforms the aging adult into an athlete of aging – the Masters Athlete.

The Masters Athlete
Now, you might think that strength training for seniors would be completely different from training for younger people. But nothing could be further from the truth. Our work with Masters Athletes has shown us that the best results are realized when we put seniors on a program that is as close AS POSSIBLE to the programs we use in younger athletes. When we put a young person on a strength training program, we use barbell exercises–squats, presses, bench presses, and deadlifts, and we train these movements in a linear progression, a program in which we add weight to the bar at every training session.

What’s the ideal program for Masters Athlete, say aged 70? Well, it’s barbell exercises: squats, presses, bench presses, and deadlifts, trained in a linear progression. The closer we can keep seniors to a standard program with standard exercises, the better results we get. Using this approach with seniors is safe, productive and powerful.

Of course, in practice, things can get a little more complicated. There’s going to be a lot more variability in an older population than a younger one, because these people have lived long and different lives, with more time for their diverse experiences and genetics to manifest as different abilities and disabilities, different strengths and weaknesses.

So while we try to keep seniors as close to standard exercise selection and programming as possible, modifications are often required. Here are some of the most common modifications we encounter in practice.



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[BarbellLogic]

Comment down below if you're a masters athlete! :)

[marcyseymour]

71 year old female masters competitive olympic weightlifter, Crossfitter, runner and hiker! There are not enough hours in a day to accomplish all that I love to do! Did nothing until I was in my early 50's!! It's never too late to start!!

[robertarnold]

I'm a 25 year old powerlifter and I came here because I thought it would be wise to learn this now. Best to know what I'm in for as I keep aging. I'll be an old man one day, and I want to be a strong old man.

[michaelrincon]

As a nurse I get to see the difference in people who lift weights vs people who don't once they're get 65 years old plus. Its significant not only in their physical abilities but also their cognitive abilities.

[oluwoleolusola]

Started lifting at 55, now at 62 I squat 315Ib (AG) and deadlift 405Ib. Love lifting.

[danielcurtis]

I was told by doctors I'd probably never walk again.. I spent over 10 years in a wheelchair..And weighed 320 lbs and had a 48 inch waist..I lost 145 lbs in 30 weeks and have kept it off since..Today I weigh 165 and have a 30 inch waist..I eat clean and work out 7 days a week.. People in Plant City nicknamed me Popeye so Im cool with that..I am 62 and ripped..None of it came easy..Age is just a state of mind..

[robertkavanaugh]

I am 72 and have lifted all my life. At 72, still rail lift 518 pounds. I absolutely love the weight room. Never too old.

[oluwoleolusola]

Started lifting at 55y/o, now at 65, squat PR is 365, 315Ib for 10 reps; DL 435Ib and 405 for 6 reps. Weightlifting is now my passion. I don’t feel a day older than 35 and feel very blessed.

[GR]

Now that I am in my 60s, I find my motivation and approach to weight training has changed. Thirty years ago, I worked out to look good for the ladies and now I work out so that my blood pressure and cholesterol looks good for my doctor. lol.

[abbatis]

Just came across this.. you are bang on, one of the best recommendations for seniors I have seen I was never an athlete, I ran some from 60 to 70. At 70 I found crossfit and have embraced it for the last 6 years. I go to regular Crossfit classes 5 days a week. I do it all, deadlifts, back squats, thrusters, burpees, push ups pull ups, wall balls. ?I almost always get the prescribed workout completed in the time allotted. This changes changes your life. The problem for most older people is that they just do not want to put in an effort. Keep up the good work. Just turned 76 here.

[shellarotc]

Strength training has done wonders for my mom--and not just for strength and muscle, but also for balance. She also moved recently and said at one point, "I couldn't have done this if I hadn't been training."

[RomanKondrachov]

You are totally right! I notice that, once a senior gets stronger, everything in that person's life starts improving.

[talkdatful]

Trust me when you get aged you need strength training more than you did in your youth.

[raylenihan]

79 here. Thru hiked the Appalachian Trail at 60, southern half of California at 67, all of Oregon at 69, cranked out 3 sets of pull-ups, 30-28-29 at 71, 214 pushups in 3 sets at 71, 3 sets of one legged squats on a bosu ball at 71, triple by pass heart surgery, ran 8.5 minute mile 3 months post op and up to 23 pull ups 6 months post op. Thinking of another thru hike.

[arthurthomasware]

I'm 88. Started weight training at 20. Except for a short break here and there, I've been at it life long. I highly recommend weight training as advocated here.

[scottyg]

I'm 64 and train something everyday! Strength training is key but because of my martial background I also train striking and some grappling. Even during the lockdown I was training using weighted vest, pull ups push ups etc. I also have dumbbells and various weighted jump ropes. Getting ready to hit the pavement for a 5k! Happy training to my older brothers and sisters!

[GeorgeLeite]

Master athlete here. There should be more gyms and trainers geared towards masters. I feel like everyone's grandfather in the gym. They are all very nice, but half my age, and the blasting hip hop music just isn't my style. But I guess it will take some of us masters to take the time to learn coaching and start a place of our own. :)

[OverTheHillTraining]

Training for 35 years and in my 50's. Thanks for your dedication. I hope I can help others as well through my instruction.

[MajesticSkywhale]

I built myself a home gym recently and I'm working hard on getting my parents in their 60s to use the gym. I bought a Hex Bar for deadlifts, neutral grips bar for bench press, and safety squat bar, to make sure we're all doing the safest variations of the core compound lifts. My mother is 5'5" 140 and watching her doing a good form squat even with the empty barbell is cool. I told her "next time that young lady at work always telling you about her Zumba classes looks down on you for not doing them, you can be like 'that's cute, I use freeweights"

[garethjudd]

Just broke my personal record in the deadlift with 140kg/315lb for 30 non-stop reps at 57 years old. 😃