Editor’s Note: Before starting any new exercise program, consult your doctor. Stop immediately if you feel pain.
CNN
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Chances are you’re not pumping weights regularly. You probably don’t do resistance band routines or squats and lunges while watching TV, either. But you may need to reconsider your decision.
Strength training, whether done with weights, bands, machines or your own body weight, is important for your long-term health. Also known as resistance training, it increases muscle strength, endurance and bone density. These exercises also reduce the risk of falls and fractures with age, promoting independent living, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is why the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults do muscle-strengthening activities two or more days per week, working all major muscle groups at moderate or higher intensity.
Unfortunately, only 30.2% of Americans meet these guidelines, according to a Analysis of 2017 data published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. In the same study, almost 60% of participants reported not doing any strength training.
Martin Puddy/Digital Vision/Getty Images
The U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults engage in muscle-strengthening activities two or more days per week, working all major muscle groups.
Resistance training also varies by region, depending on a 2020 analysis of National Health Interview Survey data. Specifically, those living in large metropolitan areas and the West US Census Bureau region were more likely to meet CDC guidelines for physical activity than those in less populated areas and other regions.
This is all unfortunate, because resistance training is much more important than most people think, said Dr. Tommy Lundberg, an exercise researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Solna, Sweden, and author of “The Physiology of Resistance Training», published in October.
Eva Malm/courtesy Tommy Lundberg
Exercise researcher Dr. Tommy Lundberg, author of “The Physiology of Resistance Training,” says strength training is most important for people over 65.
Lundberg shares his thoughts on why we shouldn’t neglect this important part of a healthy lifestyle.
This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
CNN: Why is strength training important for good health?
Dr. Tommy Lundberg: You get better control of your blood sugar, especially if you have type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance. You feel better – which is a very important effect, as it can reduce stress levels – and you generally sleep better. As you age, it helps you function better so you can perform daily activities for longer. This also helps reduce your risk of falling.
CNN: Does resistance training help prevent chronic illnesses or conditions?
Lundberg: Data suggests that strength training may reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases. But we sometimes overestimate the effects of exercise and strength training on factors such as lifespan and risk of cardiovascular disease. This is why I prefer to talk mainly about the short-term effects of strength training, because you can bet your money on it.
CNN: Is there a demographic that benefits the most from strength training?
Lundberg: I recommend aerobic and resistance training for all ages, but it’s fair to argue that strength training is most important for people over 65 years old. This is due to the link between strength training and better physical function, reduced falls and better balance.
We know that sarcopenia, the loss of muscle strength and function that begins to develop as we age, accelerates particularly after age 70 and 80. Resistance training is the only way to effectively maintain, or even increase, your muscle mass. There is no medication available today, nor any diet we can adopt, to reap the benefits we can get from strength training.
CNN: Has the need for bodybuilding always been a problem for humans?
Lundberg: Some data indicates that much of society is more sedentary today than in the past. But lifespan is also increasing, and it is estimated that it will continue to increase in the decades to come. We will therefore have a growing population of older people who will need to strengthen their muscles to be able to carry out daily activities and remain independent, but also to reduce the burden on our healthcare system.
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No type of equipment is necessarily better than another when it comes to strength training, says Lundberg, adding that it depends on the goals and the person.
CNN: Is strength training also important for optimal athletic performance?
Lundberg: Strength training is an integral part of many sports, as there are countless sports in which you must jump high, move quickly, or produce high forces (such as when sprinting or dunk on a basketball). basketball), for which strength training can help you.
There is also evidence to suggest that it may reduce your risk of injury. For example, in soccer, which I play, there is strong evidence that it reduces the risk of hamstring injury, which is the most common injury in soccer.
CNN: Which do you think is better: strength training using your body weight, free weights, gym equipment or bands?
Lundberg: Nothing strongly suggests that one type of equipment is much better than another. It depends on the goals and the person.
CNN: Can you suggest a strength training program for the average person?
Lundberg: The general It is recommended to do muscle strengthening activities twice a week, including all major muscle groups. If you want to save time, do one or two sets of each exercise. If you have more time, do three or four. But it is always better to reduce the number of sets per exercise than to reduce the number of exercises.
The level of effort is also very important. You should exercise until you feel a little burning sensation and get close to the point where you can’t do another repetition. You don’t necessarily need to reach failure, but repeat until you feel like, OK, this is getting pretty heavy now.
CNN: What is your weekly routine?
Lundberg: I don’t have time for long sessions, so I do frequent, very short sessions – often 10, 15 minutes of exercise. This could be a 1km run or three sets of three different exercises, such as jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups or squats. You can get good health effects, and even good workout results, with short sessions. But you need a relatively high intensity and you need to do it frequently, like a few times a week.
CNN: What else is important to know about this topic?
Lundberg: It is not enough to advocate exercise. We will not reach the most sedentary. We need to integrate physical activity and exercise into the environment. We need green spaces, more outdoor gyms and perhaps more physical activity at school. It must be easier to take the stairs rather than the escalator. This perspective is important if we really want to change public health.
Melanie Radzicki McManus is a freelance writer specializing in hiking, travel and fitness.
