Why do men and women need strength training after 40?

Strength training for weight loss in the gym

Beautiful body muscle definition and effective weight loss can be achieved by regularly working out in the gym and following a proper diet. You can read directly about what to eat while losing weight, what diet to follow on the BodyGramm website. Exercising on exercise machines, using barbells and dumbbells of different weights will help not only to form the desired proportions, but also to lose extra pounds. An important condition for the effectiveness of training is compliance with certain rules for its implementation.

1)

Underestimating the load is not recommended. Strength training gives results only if the body resists the loads placed on it. The load under which the exercises are performed without much diligence is insufficient. It is important to train with such diligence that you only have enough strength to complete the required number of repetitions. After completing all the repetitions, your strength should completely leave you.

2)

Mandatory increase in intensity. If the body is constantly exposed to the same load, then it gets used to it and stops reacting to it. Therefore, it is necessary to gradually increase the intensity of training and the number of repetitions. If the load is unbearably heavy, then you should refrain from adding weights. After some time, you need to return to building them up again.

3)

Choosing a personal training program. It is necessary to clearly define for yourself the goal of strength training. To increase muscle mass, you should exercise using heavy weights. The number of repetitions should be as high as possible. If you need to correct a certain part of the body, then you should focus your attention on it. If the goal is to lose weight, then the bulk of the exercises should be performed both with and without weights.

4)

Mandatory rest. You can’t exercise too often - this can lead to physical illness. Between strength training for weight loss, the body needs to rest. Muscles need time to recover and get rid of lactic acid, which harms the body.

Important details when performing strength exercises for effective weight loss

To start fitness classes, including strength training for weight loss, you need to do a warm-up. It will help prepare your muscles for the upcoming loads. Warming up reduces the likelihood of injury and muscle strain. Strength exercises tend to be highly traumatic. Warm-up may consist of running or squats. You can perform several simple exercises included in the training program.

When lifting heavy weights, you should avoid sudden movements and jerks. Exercises must be performed with slow and smooth movements. Be sure to pay due attention to breathing during the training process. The exercise should begin with inhalation and end with exhalation. Lifting weights should not cause severe pain or physical exhaustion.

A condition for effectively performing strength exercises is correct posture. You need to keep your back straight.

Why strong muscles make us healthy

Muscles play an important role in regulating glucose levels
in the body.
With the help of insulin, the body absorbs glucose from the blood and stores it in the form of glycogen.
Larger
muscles mean
more
glucose uptake and
more
the body, which helps prevent type 2 diabetes, in which insulin interacts with cells and blood glucose levels become too high.

Strength training helps you burn calories

even after the exercises are finished.
They increase your basal metabolic rate—the amount of energy your body uses at rest—in two ways. Firstly, more muscle
mass requires
more
energy, which means it burns more calories.
Second, lifting weights causes micro-tears in muscle tissue, which also requires energy to remodel. Due to these effects, the body expends more energy after strength training, and the increased energy demand can last for up to three days after exercise. Imagine doing two twenty-minute weight training sessions per week.
Each workout burns about 200 extra calories. In this case, over the next three days, your body will spend another 100 calories per day to restore muscle. Over the course of a month, doing two short strength training sessions per week will burn a whopping 5,000 extra calories—without even leaving the house. But perhaps the most valuable thing that strength training does for the body is strengthening bones.

. As we age, bones break down and bone mass decreases, making them more prone to fractures. Our bones are constantly changing: they are destroyed by osteoclast cells and built back up by osteoblasts. Aerobic exercise is beneficial for many systems in the body, but there is little evidence that it can protect us from bone loss. Strength training, on the other hand, has a direct effect on bone health: it places stress on the bones by inducing osteoblast activity and suppressing osteoclasts. This way they help us maintain existing bone tissue and even build denser bones. This significantly reduces the risk of osteoporosis, which causes about 1.66 million hip fractures worldwide each year.

If all this data isn't enough to turn you into a strength-training junkie, there's another argument: the effect on the brain.

.
People with greater
grip strength (and therefore greater
overall
strength) score higher on tests measuring memory and reaction time, as well as on tests assessing verbal and spatial abilities. This means that grip strength may be used as a marker of cognitive decline. For example, older women who lifted weights once a week for a year significantly improved their scores on attention tests compared to women who trained on balance. The underlying mechanisms by which resistance training affects cognitive function are not fully understood, but it appears to trigger the release of several chemicals in the brain, including BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which keep neurons healthy, communicating, growing and resisting. age-related decline.

A set of strength exercises for training

1. Beginning athletes are advised to create a competent weight loss program. The complex should include from 10 to 12 exercises.
2. On the shoulder muscles - lifting dumbbells up above your head, lifting weights to each side and forward.
3. On the back muscles - lifting weights from a sitting position, using weights for each arm alternately, performing jerks on a sitting machine, stretching exercises for the back muscles.
4. For the pectoral muscles - doing push-ups from a bench, using exercise machines for the pectoral muscles, doing push-ups from the floor.
5. To build biceps, triceps, quadriceps - biceps rotations, reverse twists, arm presses, multi-repetition exercises for arms and legs.
6. For the leg muscles - perform squats and side lunges.
7. For the abdominal muscles - lifting the body up, performing side turns of the body, adopting a plank position, training the abs on simulators.

It is necessary to pay attention to all muscle groups. Neglecting this recommendation may cause an imbalance in the body and a disproportionate figure. All exercises should be performed in 8-10 repetitions. To develop the body's endurance, the number of repetitions can be increased to 15. It is advisable to devote each workout to one muscle group.

Recommendations for training for weight loss

To lose weight, each exercise in the complex must be performed 10 repetitions in three approaches. You should remember that you need to choose the right weight. It is chosen optimally if you have to exert a lot of effort at the end of the third approach.

To build muscle mass, exercises must be performed 6-8 repetitions in three sets. You need to do the exercises until you feel completely tired. Beginners are advised to increase the number of repetitions gradually, after several weeks of systematic training.

To maintain health and improve well-being, you can perform 12-16 repetitions, the number of sets is 1-3.

Does strength training support good mental health?

When we exercise, our body releases chemicals into the brain called endorphins, which help reduce discomfort and improve our mood. A 2021 study from the Black Dog Institute found that regular exercise of any intensity can help prevent depression—and just one hour a week can help. Plus, strength training can improve mental health and boost self-esteem, especially as we see ourselves gradually getting stronger.

“A former client of mine came to me feeling weak and exhausted most of the time, believing that she could hardly do any exercise,” notes Hughes. “Within four weeks, combining weightlifting and basic yoga, she more than doubled many of her starting weights, and she told me she already felt more youthful again. A strong body gives us a sense of confidence and the ability to perform any physical task that is put in front of us.”

Losing weight with strength training at home

Working out at the gym provides more effective weight loss than working out at home. Unfortunately, for various reasons it is not always possible to visit sports clubs. To start home workouts for weight loss, you should initially purchase the necessary sports equipment:

1. The good thing about expanders is that they are relatively small in size and do not take up much space in your bag. This makes it possible to train for weight loss at any free minute (while walking, at lunchtime).
2. Dumbbells are the most important equipment for strength training, ensuring effective weight loss. The positive thing is their low price. Along with dumbbells, it is recommended to purchase a barbell and iron plates for it. For training at home, you will also need a gymnastic ball and a bench.

Health Benefits of Strength Training

Improved balance

Older adults often experience a loss of balance and flexibility, leading to falls and fractures. Strengthening exercises improve mobility and balance. A New Zealand study of women aged 80 and over found that women experienced 40% less loss of balance by performing simple strengthening and coordination exercises.

Strengthening Bones

Women experiencing menopause may lose 1–2% of their bone tissue annually. A Tufts University study published in 1994 found that strength training strengthened the bones of women ages 50 to 70, reducing the risk of fractures.

Recommendations for choosing the required weight

Large muscles include the thighs, pectorals, back and glutes. They are trained using heavy weights. For the muscles of the arms, abs and shoulders, use lighter weights.

1. For beginner athletes, it is more beneficial to increase the number of repetitions rather than to abuse heavy weights.
2. It should be remembered that exercise machines allow you to lift more weight than barbells and dumbbells.
3. You can determine the optimal weight for yourself experimentally during training.

Regular exercise will gradually become a good habit and ensure effective weight loss.

Author: ForceMan from 6-12-2020, 17:52

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