Getting up out of a chair, carrying groceries, or picking up your grandchild are regular activities that can become challenging as we age. But they don’t have to be – if you incorporate strength training into your routine.
Why strength train? As we age, muscular strength decreases so it’s essential to train your muscles to keep being able to do the activities you need or want to do, says Nathan Boehm, Personal Trainer at The Alaska Club West. “Getting up out of a chair, getting up from the ground, reaching overhead, squatting, even keeping good posture – all of it can keep you going and prevent injury.”
Never trained? There’s no time like the present. “Start before things happen,” says Nate, who has trained clients who’ve never picked up a weight before to seasoned veterans. He says it’s important to take it slow and use expert guidance. “Meet with a trainer or someone who can show you the right moves to develop strength, flexibility, and mobility, especially in the hips, knees, and ankles to make moving easier as you age.”
When he starts training with a client, Nate likes to see how well they can move past 90 degrees. He uses TRX straps then progresses to kettlebell squats, front loading to help with core and posture. Being able to press weight overhead is another crucial skill to maintain as we age. “It can be so limited in many older people so doing something like an overhead press with dumbbells, or with a machine that works those muscles is important,” notes Nate, adding anything back related, like rowing, will help keep you strong. “Older folks tend to sit a lot which weakens your core and can compromise your posture so you should focus on that pulling motion to keep the shoulders back and work on your posture ensuring it’s aligned.”
The key to getting stronger through strength training is not only consistency, but also a desire to live life well. “I have a lot of people who come to me and say they want to live long and happy lives,” says Nate, “They want to keep doing things like skiing, hiking, biking, fishing, and everything else you can do here in Alaska. To do those activities, you must be able to prepare yourself and build foundational exercises to be able to do those things without hurting yourself. For skiers, for example, there’s a lot of different muscles involved with that so being able to work on those lateral movements in the hips, knees, ankles will help you further down the road.”
Think of strength training as insurance. Spending time training inside the gym will better equip you for activities outside the gym. Whether it’s skiing, hiking, or being active with your grandkids, every ounce of muscle you make will lead to a stronger and more confident future.
There’s plenty of success stories where clients say working with a trainer inside the gym helped with those activities they like to do outside of the gym. It helps with longevity and making things easier for yourself.
Getting into the gym as fast as you can is so important. If you need help, we have a team of trainers who can work with you and your needs.