Can resistance training help us feel young?

Can resistance training help us feel young?

From VOA Learning English, here is the Health and lifestyle report.

Some experts suggest that lifting weights is the best way to keep our bodies strong and healthy as we age. Weightlifting is a type of resistance training.

Experts at Penn State University School of Medicine define resistance training as “a type of exercise that requires your muscles to work against external resistance.”

Some experts claim that resistance training can even slow aging.

Marcas Bamman has been studying the effects of weight resistance training on older adults for many years. He recently shared his advice with The Associated Press.

“Resistance training is in many ways the real fountain of Youth” , Bamman said.

Our bodies have biological limits. But Bamman said older people don’t demand enough of their bodies, not too much. He said age-related loss of strength, flexibilityAnd endurance comes from the lack of physical demands on our bodies, such as exercise.

Bamman said that months of strength training can increase muscle mass and capacity to the level of people 30 to 35 years younger. He added that many people are interested in this message.

To start

Bamman’s advice is primarily aimed at people 60 and older. However, he said no one should wait to start resistance training. He also suggests visiting a strength training facility. gym to train with weight machines. For beginners, he said machines are better.

However, experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say you don’t need weight machines to do strength training. You can strengthen your muscles using free weights, such as dumbbells or barbells. resistance bands. You can also use your own body weight, for example by doing push ups or similar exercises.

Before starting a strength training workout, experts recommend seeking the advice of a doctor. For those who frequent a gym with strength training equipment, Bamman also suggests hiring a trainer, someone who will teach you how to use the equipment. “It’s actually pretty safe,” he said. But he added that a good trainer “…can teach the movements properly.”

In a gym, you can use free weights (seen in the foreground) or weight machines (seen in the background). People work out at the Fukagawa Sports Center in Tokyo, Wednesday, June 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

How many do you need?

You can go to the gym, work out at home, or work out in a park. However, Bamman and the CDC both suggest strength training twice a week. Bamman adds that three times a week is even better. He also suggests not doing strength training in between. For example, if you do strength training on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, you should rest on Tuesday and Thursday.

Before beginning a resistance workout, start with five to ten minutes of light activity and stretching to warm up. Then, perform eight to ten different resistance exercises.

Repeat each movement 10 times. Do these sets of 10 repetitions three times. Then move on to the next movement. By the time you reach the 10th repetition, you should feel like you can’t do much more. If you could have done 10 more, you could increase the resistance.

Bamman also suggests people stay moving during their workout. “Sometimes you see people who will sit on the machine, do a set and then play with their phone for three to four minutes,” he observed.

Women could earn more than men

According to Bamman, strength training is important for both men and women. However, women may benefit even more from strength training than men.

Resistance training is one way to prevent osteoporosis, bone density loss. Bamman said that over time, women face an increased risk of bone loss. They can develop problems in their hips and lower back.

Yasuko Kuroi, 72, started bodybuilding about 20 years ago. She spoke to the AP at a public recreation center in Tokyo. “I saw the men in the gym and thought, ‘I can do that, too.’” She said.

Yasuko Kuroi, 72, uses a leg extension machine as she works out at Fukagawa Sports Center in Tokyo, Wednesday, June 12, 2024. If you’re getting older, weight resistance training could bring you unexpected benefits. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

The body requires work

According to experts at Stanford University, research shows that between the ages of 20 and 80, we can lose between 35 and 40 percent of our muscle mass.

There is a popular English expression that can relate to muscle mass in the body: “Use it or lose it.”

Bamman says we are too lenient with our bodies. He criticizes health professionals who are too lenient with older people.

“Our human body is a demand-driven system,” he explained. He added that if you continually place low demands on your body, it will adapt to that low demand.

“That’s why we lose muscle mass, that’s why we get weak. We don’t demand much,” Bamman said.

Toshiyuki Honma, 70, uses a lat pulldown machine as he works out at Fukagawa Sports Center in Tokyo, Wednesday, June 12, 2024. If you’re getting older, weight resistance training could bring you unexpected benefits. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

However, if you place higher demands on your body with activities such as resistance training, your body must adapt to these higher demands. The body adapts by developing stronger bones and bigger muscles.

Bamman cited the example of space flight or prolonged bed rest. In these situations, people quickly lose their strength.

“All of our systems, as we age, are capable of responding and adapting. They just need to stimulus.” He said he has seen positive effects in people in their 70s and 80s, and even in some people in their 90s.

Bamman, 57, joked that he was now closer in age to the people he studies. But he cautioned that there was no shortcutsHe criticized some programs for older people that only use seated exercises. He said these programs do not challenge the body enough.

And this is the Health and lifestyle report.

I am Anna Matteo.

And I’m Andrew Smith.

Stephen Wade reported this story for The Associated Press from Tokyo. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English.

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Words in this story

physiology -not. the science that deals with the physical functioning of living beings

fountain of Youth -idiom something that makes old people feel or believe they are young again

flexibility –n. the ability to stretch and move the body, especially the arms, legs, and back

endurance –n. the ability to do an activity for a long period of time

gymnasium (gymnasium) –n. a building that has spaces and equipment for exercising

resistance bands –n. flexible or rubber devices that people stretch using their arms or legs to strengthen their muscles

bring up –n. exercise in which a person lies on the ground and pushes his arms away from the ground

adapt –v. the ability to change behavior to meet the needs of a new situation or condition

stimulus –n. something that provokes a response

shortcut –n. a quicker and easier way to do something that usually involves not doing everything necessary to get a good result

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