Your Guide to Strength Training Over Age 50

Weight lifting may very well be the fountain of youth. Research shows resistance training exercise not only improves muscle strength, metabolism, and balance, it reduces signs of aging at the cellular level as well, helping you to look and feel years younger.

The benefits of strength workouts are indisputable, but getting started after age 50 may present a few challenges—especially if you have a history of back, hip, knee, or other joint pain. Before getting started on a new exercise routine, consult with your doctor. 

The National Strength and Conditioning Association recommends older adults perform strength training exercises 2 to 3 days a week. Focus on working all of the major muscle groups, including arms, legs, shoulders, and trunk with a goal of lifting a weight just heavy enough to achieve 10 to 15 repetitions before the muscles become fatigued.

Adults age 50 and older may also find it helpful to start by seeing a physical therapist help increase range of motion and strength in any stiff, painful joints, and consider taking a few sessions with a personal trainer to ensure you are lifting correctly to avoid injury.

Weight Training vs. Aerobics

Most older individuals are well aware that they need regular aerobic exercise, such as walking, swimming, or running, to strengthen their heart and lungs and tone their bodies, but many ignore weight training or resistance training.

Strength training is the only type of exercise that can substantially slow and even reverse the declines in muscle mass, bone density, and strength that were once considered inevitable consequences of aging.

Older adults who have been sedentary for a while will benefit from establishing a strength training routine before beginning a walking program or other aerobic activity. Research shows people over the age of 50 who are inactive are at a higher risk of falls because their muscle tone is weak, flexibility is often limited, and balance may be precarious.

To reduce the risk of falls and injury when starting out, begin by strengthening large muscle groups including legs, arms, and trunk muscles for 3 to 4 weeks of at least twice weekly weight training sessions before incorporating long walks or other aerobic exercises.

For active adults, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends 20 to 30 minutes of weight training two to three times a week, 20 to 60 minutes of aerobic activity 3 to 5 days a week, and stretching exercises at least twice a week.

Discomfort vs. Pain

While no pain, no gain may be a mantra in the weight room, you shouldn't actually experience pain while lifting weights. Some discomfort is to be expected as you work the muscle to fatigue. When muscles are challenged by resistance, tissue breakdown occurs. It's normal to feel some soreness the day after a workout as the muscle fibers heal and become stronger.

If you feel joint or nerve pain, or are putting a tremendous amount of strain on any part of the body, you're probably going overboard and can harm yourself. Strains, sprains, and tissue damage can take weeks or even months to heal, so preventing injury should be the top priority.

Additional Benefits

In general, as people grow older, muscle fibers shrink in number and in size (atrophy) and become less sensitive to messages from the central nervous system. This contributes to a decrease in strength, balance, and coordination. Fortunately, beginning a strength training exercise routine after the age of 50 can halt these declines and boost health in a number of ways:

Reverse Aging

Although there is no question that people start to experience at least some degree of muscle atrophy after age 40, the extent to which this occurs depends on a number of factors, including genetics, diet, smoking and alcohol use, and—most importantly—physical activity level.

Research shows inactivity is responsible for the majority of age-associated muscle loss, and resistance exercise can reverse much of this by increasing the size of shrunken muscle fibers.

Strengthen Bones

Weight training increases bone mass, which lowers the risk of developing osteoporosis and fractures. Strength training adds more weight to the skeleton by building muscle, which stimulates the bones to strengthen and grow.

Ease Joint Pain

Proper strength training doesn't apply stress directly to joints and is ideal for people with arthritis. In fact, rheumatologists with the Arthritis Foundation recommends weight training for patients with arthritis. Although exercise cannot reverse arthritic changes, lifting weights helps alleviate symptoms by strengthening the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that surround joints.

Better Quality of Life

Resistance exercise can also help older adults live independently by giving them the strength they need to perform everyday tasks. There is even evidence that resistance exercise can help people sleep better and can improve the mood of mildly to moderately depressed individuals.