Another birthday coming up? Don’t think of this year as growing old; think of it as getting better and starting a new chapter. It’s important to have on mind staying active as you age. The reason for this is that your body begins to change whether you like it or not. You start to lose muscle mass and your metabolism slows down, making it hard to stay in shape. That is why it is essential to follow these five exercise habits to delay muscle aging, because it is your fountain of youth, after all! Read on to learn more.
Many older people make the mistake of focusing solely on lifting lighter weights. Although there are benefits to lifting lighter weights, such as improving strength endurance, you need enough endurance to keep going. building and maintaining your muscles. I recommend choosing a weight where it’s challenging in the 6-8 rep zone for your compound movements.
Related: The #1 Strength Training for Regaining Muscle Mass as You Age, Says One Trainer
To maximize muscle gain, it’s important to lift weights in different rep ranges. Muscles respond to different reps, so it’s important to cover your bases and recruit all muscle fibers. For example, higher reps are great for pecs, while lower reps are good for the triceps. The hamstrings work well at lower reps, while the quads should be worked at higher reps.
At the start of your workout, I suggest you do 6-8 reps on your main exercises, then move up to 8-12 reps with your other moves. He ends up with 12 to 15 or more reps on his final lifts of the day.
Related: Trainer Reveals The Best Fitness Habits That Slow Aging
It’s a good idea to use the same lifts so you can focus on lifting more weight, performing more reps, or both. However, I recommend rotating into different exercises every 8 to 12 weeks to challenge your body. This will give your muscles new stimulation to recruit more muscle fibers. You can do the same exercises and change the way you do them. For example, switch from a flat bench press to an incline bench press, or use a cable curl instead of dumbbells.
As you age, you will not only lose lean muscle mass, but also power and speed. If you’re just doing strength trainingI recommend including power and plyometric exercises at the beginning of your workouts. It’s a great way to warm up and activate your nervous system to help you recruit more muscle fibers. Here are two examples of plyometrics and power exercises you can do:
medicine ball shots
With your feet shoulder-width apart, grab a giant medicine ball. Raise it above your head, then slam the weight into the ground as you flex your abs hard as you finish. Squat down with a straight back to pick up the ball before doing another rep. Complete 8 to 10 repetitions.
jump squats
Begin your jump squats with your legs about hip-width apart. Keep your core tight and pull your arms and hips back at the same time. Swing your arms forward and jump as high as you can. Land softly in a half squat before jumping back up. Complete 8 to 10 repetitions.
Another of the best exercise habits to delay muscle aging and improve your fitness is to incorporate high-intensity interval training (HIIT) into your routine. In addition to losing power and speed, your VO2 max also declines with age. HIIT has many benefits, such as cardiovascular improvement, heart health, and muscle gain. I recommend doing at least one HIIT session each week to improve your anaerobic fitness.
Tim Liu, CSCS
Tim Liu, CSCS, is an online fitness and nutrition coach based in Los Angeles. Read more about Tim
