Maybe you’ve noticed lately it’s a bit harder to lift the groceries or stand up from the couch. Do you struggle to get out of the car some days? Do you find yourself reaching for a cane when you didn’t before? If so, you might have a weakness issue. Look for advice in any direction – your physician, Google, or a family member and they may say you just need to get stronger. But how do you go about doing that if you’ve never done it before? Does the vision of a trainer yelling at you to lift super heavy weights in a gym pop to mind? The best option is to start wisely and most often, small.
Muscles gain strength by working against a force. You do need to lift something heavier than normal to gain strength, but that doesn’t mean you need to start big and keep adding to it. When we start with a new client, we meet their needs where they are. Sometimes that means starting without weights and just the resistance of gravity. Other times it’s starting with small ankle weights of one or two pounds. Maybe even just using light resistance bands. The goal is to start a program that is sustainable. It doesn’t do any good if you’re overworked and sore and don’t want to keep going. Slowly, over time, those weights increase as the person can tolerate it. Meaning the weight feels “good”. It provides enough resistance to work, but does not create injury or days of soreness. Some clients may only increase to 5 pounds (think a bag of flour or a gallon of milk) and others may keep going to 10 pounds or more. It all depends on each person and what their goal is and what they can handle. While we strive to improve a person’s strength, the goal is also to maintain it over the long run. This may mean you can continue to exercise with a certain amount of weight without increasing it. We might vary the type of exercise or change position or movement to continue to challenge the body, but keep the weight the same.
There is nothing to fear about strength training. Without strength all those activities you love to do every day become difficult. Muscle mass and strength peaks in our 30’s, but we continue to live a long time after. As we age it is common for activity level and especially working with weights to decline. This can lead to sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass and strength. Which can lead to a higher risk of falls, fractures, and chronic disease. The great news is, regardless of your age, you can start regaining strength in those muscles any time! You just need to do the work and be consistent.
Working with a Physical Therapist with the extensive knowledge of helping people with losing muscle mass is a great way to begin. They can assess your current strength, review any medical history that affects the situation, and create a program tailored to your needs and regain your strength.
Remember – consistency is the name of the game. Start strength training so you don’t lose the strength you have, build on it to get stronger and then maintain it. Think of a goal and give yourself time to meet it. “No pain no gain” does not apply here. But “use it or lose it” does.