By Dr. Laura Whipple DC
Los Alamos
Besides diet, stress reduction and daily cardiovascular activity, strength training is an important and often overlooked way to stay young.
Inactive adults over the age of 30 lose an average of 3 percent of their muscle mass per year and adults over 60 lose 8 percent per year.
Why is this important? Muscle burns more calories than fat and more muscle results in a faster metabolism. In addition, adults who strength train have less overuse injuries, perform better in their chosen activities and have better cardiovascular function overall.
Research shows that just 10 weeks of strength training increases metabolism by up to 7 percent and reduces fat weight by up to 4 lbs. The old saying “use it or lose it” is a perfect way to summarize what happens if we don’t actively maintain muscle strength over time.
For people with limited time due to a busy schedule, I recommend prioritizing strength training over cardiovascular exercise. It’s easier to insert cardio into our daily routine by parking father away, taking the stairs, walking with the dog or our kids.
Strength training will require designating time in your week.
A large review of research on strength training showed that the most efficient way to gain muscle is by increasing the intensity of a session. This is much more effective than doing multiple days of training per week.
When I’m running low on time, my personal routine involves training whole body and lifting heavier to fatigue my muscles faster.
Two sets of 8 repetitions per exercise will fatigue the muscle quickly if you lift heavy enough.
Compound exercises, which use the upper and lower body at the same time are another great way to fatigue the body quickly.
Bottom line, doing something is better than nothing.
The biggest problem I see is that people set their expectations too high and they quit before they get started. Set your goals within what your schedule realistically allows.
If getting to the gym is tough, set up some equipment in your garage. All you need is a bench, mat, kettle bells and hand weights.
Body weight training also is an excellent option if you aren’t ready to purchase equipment. My personal favorite at home training website is called fitnessblender.com. They have lots of options to get you started and strength workouts are set up to be short and intense.
Dr. Laura Whipple has a BSc in Neuroscience and is a Doctor of Chiropractic. She has been in practice for 20 years and recently joined Dr. Lenz and Dr. Savoia at the Los Alamos Chiropractic Center. Dr. Whipple’s practice focuses on posture and performance using a combination of soft tissue release, adjustments and exercise recommendations. She also coaches patients on self-care and body awareness so they can manage themselves in between visits. Los Alamos Chiropractic Center is in the Mary Deal Building on Trinity Drive.
