- Catriona Sugden
- Sep 18, 2024
- 2 min read
Today I would like to “redefine” what many people think about weight training, as a beginner, at 70 years old and above. Several research articles, published by orthopaedic surgeons in recent years, show positive benefits of weight training for individuals in this age group.
For the majority of people who I come into contact with, who don't have a predisposition to disease, the narrative, which I think reflects the narrative in society generally, is that with age comes an inevitable decline in quality of movement - ”wear and tear”, "old age = pain" etc. Whilst I understand the origins of this view, published research is now suggesting otherwise. When we consider age and the musculoskeletal system, research indicates that our rate of performance decline, prior to 75 years, occurs at a rate of around 1-2% annually.
This decline continues at an increased rate of around 8% at 75 years old and above. However, this does not necessarily mean slowing down nor does it mean having to “protect” our musculoskeletal system.
What is performance? For a few of us it is a 100m sprint (which was used in the research) for many it could be DIY, playing an instrument, swimming or walking to the corner shop: Essentially anything we have been used to that is active and can be measured by distance or by time to perform. I hope that you will find the extracts below encouraging.
Quotes I've lifted from research publications
"The ageing process can go seemingly unnoticed with an intense and consistent strength training program."
"Although it has been shown in multiple studies that at age 75 the ageing process becomes a factor in exercise, this still does not stop Senior Olympians. It is not uncommon for competitors to run, into their 90s, and more impressively, gain a position on the medal stand"
"Old muscle has the ability to hypertrophy, just like young muscle, if the muscle is exercised. Multiple studies have shown that high-intensity strength training results in substantial, continual increases in strength. This has been shown true for de-conditioned elderly as well."
"Additional studies determined that an 85 year old weightlifter is as powerful as an inactive 65 year old. This indicates that competitive performance throughout later life stages is still feasible, and that maintaining an increased level of physical activity in late life is imperative for healthy ageing."
So what do we know? With decreased movement and the eventual onset of pain my understanding, in order to improve musculoskeletal health, is to use manual therapy to treat the acute pain and restore function via resistance exercise. Weightlifting can continue as a benefit to the ageing process for much longer than previously thought by the collective.