Strength training generally is associated with the “mirror muscles.” The mirror muscles can include biceps, that elusive 6-pack or muscular or toned legs. Those are great and all but muscles help us move not just look good. Muscles help us lift that bag of dog food up and into the trunk. These muscles allow us to reach down pick up a grandchild and play with them. Life involves strength. Life involves the power to come up out of chair with speed and control.
Atrophy is what we want to keep at bay as much as we can. When we are younger we may not be thinking about atrophy. Atrophy is defined by Merriam-Webster as: “decrease in size or wasting away of a body part or tissue.” When it comes to adults as we get older is that muscular atrophy can happen as an effect of aging.
Here is an excerpt from a great article by Harvard Health about preserving muscle mass… “Age-related muscle loss, called sarcopenia, is a natural part of aging. After age 30, you begin to lose as much as 3% to 5% per decade…” Click here to read more of this article.
Strength training is for every age and gender. The amount of pounds we use when strength training may be less as we get older. What should not change is the challenging nature of strength training. Gentle exercise does not keep atrophy as bay. Challenges are subjective when it comes to strength training. To keep muscular atrophy at bay for as long as possible incorporate strength training into your regime!
