Fitness
The Few, the Long-Lived … The Strength Trainers
Strength training is the way to live better longer.
Yet, few people do it. It’s hard to understand.
Over the past decade, researchers have demonstrated the benefits of strength training for strength, muscle mass and physical function, as well as for improvements in chronic conditions such as diabetes, osteoporosis, lower back pain and obesity.
Only about 9 percent of older adults do strength training at least once a week, according to one study — a small fraction of people but higher than researchers expected.
The researchers in one study followed the respondents for 15 years. About a third of the respondents had died within the time period. The remaining who trained at least twice a week had a 46 percent lower risk of death than those who did not do the training. They also had 41 percent lower odds of cardiac death and 19 percent lower risk of dying from cancer.
Significantly, after the researchers controlled for physical activity levels, people who did strength exercises lived longer than those who did only physical activity.
The study is strong evidence that strength training in older adults has benefits beyond improving muscle strength and physical function.
Jeff Tomaszewski is owner of MaxStrength Fitness in Westlake. He’s a certified athletic trainer and a strength and conditioning specialist. Visit maxstrengthfitness.com or call 440-835-9090.
