Weight Resistance Exercise for Seniors

The medical community for many years assumed that the elderly and the frail could not participate in weight resistance exercises. Generally, it was thought that seniors were to just sit and rest until they no longer existed.

This has been proven through studies to be incorrect. The frail and elderly can increase strength through lifting weights, which enables them to perform simple activities more independently.

Most of the fear centered on the harm that might come to the elderly. Many feared pushing them too hard would result in injury, heart attack, or shortness of breath. The truth is that seniors enjoy getting stronger and rarely have adverse outcomes. They find weight lifting helps to improve their quality of life.

In the March 2000 issue of The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, researchers discovered participants (average age 75) in weight-lifting programs gradually performed better in 13 simple activities. This included walking, bathing, dressing, getting around outdoors, and getting in and out of bed. After training, most participants showed an increase of 20 percent in arm and leg strength.

Training does not have to be intense, and will definitely improve the quality of your life.

Always see your doctor before beginning any exercise program, as he or she knows your personal medical history and will know what type of exercise would be right for your needs.