Recent studies suggest that resistance training can prolong your life. An analysis published in British Journal of Sports Medicine found that people who spent 30 to 60 minutes of strength training each week had a 40% lower risk of premature death, a 46% lower risk of heart disease, and a 28% lower risk of dying from cancer. This analysis of 16 studies that included nearly 480,000 people ages 18 to 98 demonstrated the value of strength training as we age. Other studies have found that combining strength training with aerobic activity can reduce the risk of death from cancer and all causes by 30%.
Dr. Gabe Mirkin, author of The miracle of the healthy heartsays that we lose muscle as we age but that loss can be mitigated with strength training.
“Between the ages of 40 and 50, the average person loses more than 8% of their muscle size,” he says. “This loss increases to 15% per decade after age 75. Those who lose the most muscle tend to be the least active, those who exercise the least and those who die sooner. Seniors who lose the most muscle are four times more likely to become disabled, have difficulty walking, and need walkers and other mechanical devices to help them walk.”
Mirkin says that losing muscle strength increases our risk of diabetes, heart attack and some types of cancer. A little known fact is that the smaller the muscles of the arms, legs, and trunk, the smaller and weaker the upper and lower chambers of the heart.
“Each muscle in your body is made up of thousands of muscle fibers, just like a rope is made up of many strands,” explains Mirkin. “Each muscle fiber is innervated by a single nerve fiber. With aging nerves are lost, and when a nerve attached to a muscle fiber is lost, that muscle fiber is also lost. You can’t stop this loss of muscle fibers with aging, but you can certainly enlarge each muscle fiber and slow the loss of strength by exercising your muscles against progressive resistance using strength-training machines or lifting weights.”
Always check with your health care professional before beginning any exercise program, says Mirkin, who offers helpful advice on Weightlifting tips for middle-aged and older people..
“Beginners should start with a resistance or weight that they can comfortably lift and lower at least 10 times,” he said. “As soon as your exercising muscle begins to fatigue, burn, or feel tight, stop that exercise and move on to the next one.”
He said that older people can reduce their risk of injury by using lighter weights and increasing the number of repetitions.
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