People will always tell me, especially older adults that they are too old to lift weights. There is a false notion that as you get older, your ability to engage in athletic pursuits diminishes. This belief is based on studies that claim to show definitively that as you age, your muscle mass and bone density decreases, your ability to recover drops, and your coordination and agility begin to falter. Does it? Well, if you stop engaging in fitness and become sedentary, you certainly will! No matter what age your in. In reality, your are never too old to lift weights.
Here’s more reason why older adults should pump iron: Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, have found a new link between lifting weights and longevity.
In a publication with the American Journal of Medicine (2014; doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2014.02.007), the study examined all-cause mortality rates among 3,659 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III. Subjects had originally completed the survey between 1988 and 1994. At that time, the men were aged 55 or older, and the women were 65 or older. Each participant underwent bioelectrical impedance testing to measure skeletal muscle mass. In the current study, that data was then compared against all-cause mortality rates.
Researchers discovered that total mortality was significantly lower for subjects in the fourth quartile of muscle mass index than it was for those in the first quartile.
In layman’s term, lifting weights can add years to your life. A fountain of youth!
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