The benefits of strength training after 50

I truly believe that strength training is the best exercise modality to maintain a high quality of life at an advanced age.

This is why strength training is one of the strategies included in our Vital Pyramid of Health and Fitness.

While individuals who’ve been more involved with cardio exercise, such as running or biking for most of their lives tend to have greater longevity than most, stronger people seem to break down less with age.

Naturally, there are exceptions, but maintaining muscle mass as we age is crucial to maintaining our mobility and living a high quality of life.

Here is a brief list of other benefits of strength training after 50…

Improved Strength – Duh

Naturally, if you lift weights regularly, you are going to gain strength.  Increased strength will benefit you in your everyday activities, such as carrying groceries, moving furniture, doing yard work, etc.

If you participate in any type of sport, improved strength will also be of benefit.

Golf is a great example.

In years past, golfers at the top of the sport shied away from lifting weights, except for a very few.

Gary Player was one of those few who regularly lifted weights, but he still shied away from lifting what I would consider to be heavy weights.

Nowadays, it is clear that legitimate strength training is becoming viewed as a necessity to compete at the highest levels of the game, particularly in long drive competitions.

Increased Metabolism

One of the most important benefits of lifting weights is that you will turn your body into a fat burning machine through building muscle.

Lean muscle mass burns more calories throughout the day.

Therefore, while you burn calories during your workout itself, you’ll continue to burn more calories throughout the day since muscle requires more energy to maintain.

What is particularly beneficial is that you’ll lose more deep belly fat, the fat that surrounds your organs around your belly, than you would if you just did cardio.

As a result, you’ll gain a significant health benefit, as those fatty deposits around your organs can impede their function.

Improved Mobility – The Most Important Benefit of Strength Training After 50

View of Florence from top of Duomo

Lifting weights, particularly with movements involving compound exercises, will also improve your overall mobility.

Compound movements such as the squat and dead lift incorporate a number of muscle groups, along with the tendons and ligaments that provide support to those muscle groups.

As a result, you gain improved mobility as a result of these lifts, which is clearly beneficial as we age.

This improved mobility will help us get around the house and yard, and in public, and this helps us lead a healthier lifestyle.

And the fact is, life is more fun if you are mobile.

Have a look at this photo of Florence in Italy.

I was only able to get this photo by climbing about 500 steps to get to the top of the Duomo di Firenze, the tallest structure in the city.

Many people my age would be unable to make that climb due to lack of strength and mobility.

Improved Bone Density

Lifting weights will help improve or at least maintain your bone density.

As we age, we tend to lose bone density and this is what leads to easy fractures due to falls.  Women in particular are at risk.

At an advanced age, a fall that breaks a hip is often a sign that significant issues will be coming down the road.  It’s not uncommon for life expectancy to be reduced significantly after such an injury.

Improved heart health

Cardio exercise is not the only form of exercise that will improve your heart condition.  Another one of the important benefits of strength training is improved heart health.

While your heart rate does not stay elevated for long periods of time as it does with cardio exercise, those short bursts while you are performing your muscle building sets are enough to help strengthen the heart and improve VO2 max compared to more sedentary people.

This is particularly the case with the compound movements such as the squat, deadlift and overhead press.

When the weight on the bar gets heavy with those exercises, you need more recovery in between sets to get your heart rate back down and ready for the next set.

Also, when you are training in a higher rep range with an exercise, your heart will be pumping, especially with squats.

Therefore, even if strength training is your only form of exercise, it will still benefit your cardiovascular health.

You’ll look and feel better

Who do you think looks more attractive… the marathon runner who does nothing but run long distance, or the sprinter, who incorporates lifting weights into their training program?

Opinions vary, but I would venture to guess that most people would find that the sprinter has a more appealing physique due to the muscle mass and tone.

Marathon runners can look frail since the vast majority of their small amount of muscle mass is in their legs.  The rest of their body is almost skin and bone.

When you feel strong, and look strong, you’ll feel better as well.

Improved confidence

Lifting weights improves your confidence in a couple of ways.

First, after consistent training for a bit, your physique will improve.  Looking better in the mirror is a natural confidence boost.

The improved strength and mobility that comes along with lifting weights will also boost your confidence.

When you are able to perform everyday activities and your favorite activities at a higher level, you’ll naturally feel better about yourself.

That improved confidence will show up in all parts of your life, including in your relationships and at work.

You’ll be more useful

Think about this.  Who is the more useful person overall?

The person who can jog ten miles and weighs 150 pounds or less, or the person who weighs 200 pounds or more and can deadlift 400 pounds?

In everyday life, it’s the person who can lift the most weight.

That person will be more effective at helping to load a truck, move furniture, dig a ditch, protect you from harm, etc.

Of course, it would be awesome have the ability to do both, but it is far easier to train for general strength than it is to train to run a marathon.

Final thoughts on the benefits of strength training after 50

For overweight people in particular, strength training can be a game changer, as the overall impact on metabolic health can be massive.

These improvements can hold off so many potential illnesses and age related ailments, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sarcopenia and osteopenia, it is clearly the best medicine you can take.

At this point, I’ve really only scratched the surface with this list of the benefits of strength training.

And virtually anyone at any age can get started.

If you want to have the opportunity to live a high quality of life at an advanced age, it really makes no sense to continue to put it off.

Now, get to work!