The word is out and many people around the world are discovering and feeling the benefits of strength training. As with anything new there are always many questions that circulate about who should be partaking and when they should start. What is healthy, when is it appropriate, etc. For many, a primary concern is “How old is too old to start weight training?”
The simple answer, you are never too old or too broken to start taking care of yourself and weight training/strength training is exactly what you should be doing.
Why?
There are many reasons why one might benefit from a resistance training program, as we age two big reasons stick out. They are:
Muscle loss & Bone density
As we age our bodies change, in a reversal of our younger years, hormone levels and our increasingly sedentary lives as well as a variety of other factors, begin to take a toll on our ability to move freely and without pain. These ingredients lead to a slow and persistent loss of the muscle tone we once held and much of our strength along with it.
Sadly, without the the forces that result from movement and the strain of our muscles against the rigidity of our bones, our skeletal system begins to whither. Our bones require the stimulus of outside forces to remain strong and flexible, without it they begin to hollow and become increasingly brittle with time.
How do we fight these changes?
You guessed it, Strength training, resistance training, weight training, etc. No matter what you want to call it, we as a humans need to find safe and controlled ways to move weight beyond that of our bodies. For many, the best way to do this is to join a gym or similar house of fitness while others may prefer the at home approach. More important than the location is what we should be doing there.
Building strong bodies that move and feel better then they did the day before is the name of the game and everyone can play. As long as you start slow and take small consistent steps forward every time you train the sky is the limit. It is truly amazing the changes you could see in yourself if you make the effort to stay consistent and put the work in.
It is never too late to try something new and when it comes to building a stronger and more able you no age is too old. Find a place, find a plan, find a coach who will take care of you and get started. There is no day like today and the sooner you start the sooner you will feel the benefits.