Find out which is better to choose in old age: resistance training or focus more on aerobic activity? Or maybe combine cardio + gym? At any age, a person wants to be healthy and look attractive. After 50 years, many women and men think about improving their figure, and want to lead a healthy lifestyle. Today we will try to talk about which workouts for the elderly are better - cardio or gym.
At any age, it is important to lead an active lifestyle, and this implies proper nutrition and exercise. This is not only a great way to maintain your health, but also an opportunity to make yourself more attractive. You can enjoy life to the fullest even in old age. That is why many people after fifty continue to actively engage in gyms or just do morning jogging.
Of course, the training process for a young organism and an elderly person has significant differences. This means that older people should avoid certain movements to avoid injury. At whatever age you decide to start training, you should first consult with a specialist. The older the person is, the more binding this recommendation is. First of all, this is due to the fact that due to the aging processes, which are inevitable, the risk of developing various diseases increases.
If you do not consult a doctor, then you yourself may not wanting to harm your body by performing exercises that are contraindicated for you. Scientists are investigating the effectiveness and safety of training for the elderly, both cardio and exercise in the gym. Most often, such studies are carried out in the West, but no one forbids us to use the knowledge of foreign scientists.
The main recommendation for older people is to conduct four sessions per week with a training duration of at least half an hour. Moreover, the main emphasis should be on strength training, although you should not forget about cardio loads either. This prescription for older people is largely due to the fact that with age, muscle mass is lost and muscle tone decreases. It is very important to avoid this, which is possible with strength training.
It is also worth paying attention to the development of flexibility, as well as the implementation of functional movements that imitate the daily actions of a person in ordinary life. Now we will consider the question of which workout for the elderly is better - cardio or a gym is better and we will offer you a rough plan for conducting these classes.
Cardio training in old age
As you know, cardio loads can increase the efficiency of the heart muscle, thereby reducing the risk of the development of various diseases of this organ. In old age, this is very important and you need to use this type of load. Scientists recommend exercising at an intensity that raises your heart rate and activates the process of sweating. You should try to speak to determine if the intensity of the training is sufficient. If you can communicate calmly at this moment, then continue to work in this mode. In this case, you will be able to maximally affect the heart and vascular system, while ensuring that there is no possible overstrain. There are a large number of cardio options, and you can definitely find the one that suits you best.
We have already said that during the week you need to do four times, and you can alternate the types of aerobic activity in order to diversify the training process. Here are the most popular and readily available types of cardio workouts:
- Swimming.
- Walking.
- Aerobics.
- Jogging.
- Water aerobics.
- Using a variety of cardio equipment, etc.
You can attract friends or relatives to your classes and you will not even notice how half an hour of training will fly by.
Strength training for the elderly
Recall that as part of this article, we talk about which workouts for the elderly are better: cardio or the gym. We have already considered the first type of training, and now we should talk about strength training. It is quite appropriate here to talk about the results of studies in which older people took part.
For example, in the UK, studies have found that under the influence of power loads, muscle tone significantly improved, and muscle breakdown caused by aging processes stopped. This study involved people between the ages of 66 and 88. Let's also say that the experiment was very long and some of the subjects were engaged for one year.
Since in old age, in ordinary life, the maximum load falls on the leg muscles, it was precisely on this group that the training program used in the study was oriented. As a result, scientists recorded an increase in muscle mass, an average of 15 percent and an increase in strength parameters.
Note that during the first few weeks of the study, the subjects showed a fairly rapid increase in strength. This is primarily due to the improvement in neuromuscular connections, which is observed in all novice athletes at any age. In addition, scientists note an improvement in the structure of muscle tissue, which was also achieved through regular training.
It's time to move on to practical advice, because only a properly organized training process can be effective. It is very important to remember about warm-up and in old age this element of training becomes even more relevant, since the articular-ligamentous apparatus and the muscles themselves are not in the best condition. Strength training in old age should be done twice a week with a duration of one session from 20 to 45 minutes. The intensity of the training should be moderate.
In old age, few people think about increasing strength parameters and gaining mass. This does not imply the need for specialized exercises and active work with free weights. It is much more useful in old age to perform two movements for the muscles of the legs, back, abdomen, chest, arms, and also the shoulder girdle. You should work in two or a maximum of three sets, each of which will have from 8 to 2 repetitions. We have already talked about the priority of performing functional exercises above. Here is a sample training program for seniors in the gym.
1st day of classes
- Rods of vertical and horizontal blocks.
- Bench press on the Smith machine.
- Incline Bench Press.
- Breeding dumbbells in a standing position.
- Dumbbell reduction while lying down.
- Row of a barbell located behind the back.
2nd day of classes
- Calf Raises.
- Leg press.
- Extension of the legs on the simulator.
- Bending the legs to a lying position on the simulator.
The main difference between training in old age and training in young people is less intensity and the preference of simulators to work with free weights. This is primarily due to the fragility of the joints and the possibility of reducing the load on the heart, as well as the vascular and respiratory systems.
Learn more about training in old age from this story:
