Why Strength Training After 50 Matters

Strength training is an important component to any exercise routine, however, can sometimes be challenging to complete as we age, particularly if experiencing chronic pain, injury, or impairment. This articles covers why strength training is important over age 50. It comprises the tips outlined in the video Upper Body Strength Routine + Why Strength Training is Essential After 50.

Remember if you are experiencing injury or pain, make sure to see your Physiotherapist or healthcare professional prior to participating in exercise. This blog post is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individual physiotherapy assessment and treatment.

Why do strength training over age 50?  

It’s a good question, as commonly we hear we will lose strength as we get older which can be quite disheartening and can lead us to think weakness and frailty are inevitable. While muscle strength does peak in early adulthood the good news is that resistance training can counteract age related muscle mass and strength loss.  

This means that starting or continuing the habit of strength training in midlife can improve muscle mass and strength later in life and subsequently reduce the risk of poor health outcomes as we age. This is particularly important because low muscle strength is associated with adverse consequences including falls, functional decline, and frailty.  

What strength training should we be doing?  

Again, some good news is that the same strength training principles apply regardless of age. These are the principles of individualization, periodization, and progression. 

 This means a program that is suited to you, has a variety of different exercises, volume, and intensity, and aims for improvement over time. General guidelines include working toward 2–3 sets of 1–2 multijoint exercises per major muscle group, achieving intensities of 70–85% of 1 repetition maximum (1RM), 2–3 times per week (Fragala et al. 2019).

How do we structure strength training?

Typically, a structure would start with the days and times of the week available, then the muscle groups and exercises to target in each session, followed by the sets and reps of each exercise to complete.  

When deciding on exercises to complete, multi-joint exercises mean exercises that involve more than one joint, for example sit to stands work across both the hips and knees, shoulder press works across both the shoulder and elbow. When choosing a weight that is 70–85% of 1 repetition maximum, generally this means being able to complete around 8-12 reps each set.  

What are some benefits of strength training over 50?

1. Enhanced strength – how much weight we can lift 

2. Enhanced power – speed at lifting weight  

3. Neuromuscular function -  how well the brain and nerves work with the muscles to move 

What do these benefits mean for everyday life as we get older? 

These benefits lead to improvements in many facets of life including our mobility or how well we get around; how well we perform everyday self-care tasks like personal hygiene, dressing, eating; our psychosocial wellbeing which is our mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health, and how resistant we are to injuries and falls. All good reasons to start or continue strength training in mid-life.  

In summary, this article touched on why strength training is so important after age 50. I hope this information has been helpful. If you would like to watch the exercises in this routine, the accompanying video can be found on the Age Fit with Tess Youtube channel.

To find out if you are on track with your exercise program, the Age Fit with Tess Self Assessment can be found here.

Tess Halbauer

Physiotherapist

Research articles used

Cruz-Jentoft, AJ & Sayer, AA 2019, 'Sarcopenia', The Lancet, vol. 393, no. 10191, pp. 2636-46.

Fragala, MS, Cadore, EL, Dorgo, S, Izquierdo, M, Kraemer, WJ, Peterson, MD & Ryan, ED 2019, 'Resistance Training for Older Adults: Position Statement From the National Strength and Conditioning Association', The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, vol. 33, no. 8, pp. 2019-52.