ajaan
Level 1 Valued Member
I came across this article today. It seems some SFG people are involved, including Dr John Sullivan.
Strength Training after Fifty | Qiyas
Strength Training after Fifty | Qiyas
I found it amusing how the article referred to "menopause" as "the menopause." It should probably be capitalized as in "The Menopause."
If you've ever been off balance in any way, and we all have, the way to prevent "off balance" from becoming a "fall" is to react quickly to try and catch yourself. This is a power component. At least this is how I see it. I may be wrong.
I work at a facility that is 70% seniors, and honestly I have to say that it is readily apparent in an individual's functional ability when they are able to express power. Those who can get the "snap" of the swing just clearly move better, have better capability to perform ADL's and basic activities compared to those who cannot.
My facility is a "medical fitness facility" that has many community members but a large focus on helping those with chronic disease, so many people are what I would refer to as severely deconditioned. That being said, the above is based on the "apparently healthy" 60+ people.
Not according to the Oxford English Dictionary; or the Oxford American English Dictionary; or Webster's. Medical and biological terms, 'puberty' or 'cancer' for example, aren't generally capitalised, unless named after a person, such as Alzheimer's disease. Apologies, I work occasionally as a copy editor. Now, back to strength...
Of course, strength may not come as quickly as perhaps it used to, or compared to a younger age group and there may be more a need to train for health and longevity versus sport performance....but they are the same, really.....strength and power.
Personally I can see the benefit of machine training for a lot of individuals - compliance rates and individual effort will plummet as the technique becomes more involved, on the machine it takes far less time to get up to speed (sit/stand here, grab handles, do this). Muscle responds to resistance, it doesn't care how its applied in a general sense. IIRC the 72 Dolphins trained on Nautilus, but strength training was not the totality of their program...
As a general rule, an average 50 year old will have more responsibility, more stress,
I once read an article suggesting that the reason a 50 year old has a harder time losing fat and building muscle than a 20 year old isn't just about age but rather the differences in their lives. As a general rule, an average 50 year old will have more responsibility, more stress, and less free time than an average 20 year old. There are exceptions of course: there are motivated college students pursuing double majors with part-time jobs working 20 hours a week and there are some deadbeat 50 year olds. And the article was quick to mention that of course age is a factor, so even if a 20 year old and a 50 year old have the exact same lifestyle, the 20 year old would have an easier time building muscle and losing fat. However, the lifestyle differences accentuate the age differences.