9 Reasons Why Strength Training is the Fountain of Youth

Have you ever asked a fit, muscular older person their age and been shocked by the answer? How strength training slows down aging explained.

Strength Training IS the Fountain of Youth 

How much would you pay for a drug that could slow the effects of aging and greatly reduce the risk of an early death? Pharmaceutical companies are working hard to create that pill, but frankly it’s not necessary. Strength training appears to be a solution that significantly lowers the risk of a premature death while mitigating how the passage of time affects your body. 

Would you believe that he’s 47 years old?

In addition to a more aesthetically pleasing appearance, stronger, larger muscles result in improved health and reduce the risk factors for developing a chronic disease. Despite the many benefits, strength training is often avoided by those who could receive the greatest benefits, adults over the age of 45! 

Strength Training

Strength can be defined as the ability to generate maximal muscle tension against an external force or the ability of muscles to generate force to overcome the inertia of an object. When it comes to strength training, the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (2^nd edition) published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states, “Adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities of moderate or greater intensity that involve all major muscle groups two or more days a week, as these activities provide additional health benefits.”

If you are over 45 you may be thinking, “I run outside, walk to work, take indoor cycling classes at a studio or in-home through an app and do yoga, I don’t need to lift weights. Plus, I don’t want to get big, bulky muscles.” 

Muscle is the Organ of Longevity

Don’t believe the lie that strength training is only for the young and fit. Nothing could be further from the truth! There are a number of reasons why you should be strength training to the point of fatigue for at least 3 workouts per week, especially if you are over the age of 45. 

Even if you’re active, do group fitness workouts and walk every day, yes, you are exercising to improve your health but it’s important to know that strength training to the point of fatigue has specific benefits to promote longevity that other modes of exercise do not provide. Strength training promotes muscle growth, and muscle has been referred to as the ‘organ of longevity’ by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon. Instead of waiting for a pill that might slow down the aging process, do what already works, lift  weights!

For BEST Results - Lift to a Point of Fatigue

For the best results from strength training, use a weight that causes fatigue within 6-to-12 repetitions. Fatigue means that the muscles are not able to complete another rep and stimulates muscle growth through the mechanisms of protein repair, hormone production and improved muscle glycogen storage. Strength training has been shown to build new muscle well into the later years of the adult lifespan making it important to lift to fatigue at all stages of the aging process. 

Lifting weights helps you control how the passage of time effects your body!

9 Reasons to Add More Strength Training to your Program

(Especially if you’re over the age of 45)

1. There is a difference between training for muscle size - technically called hypertrophy – and training for strength, which focuses on increasing a muscle’s ability to generate force. Performing a high number of repetitions can increase the amount of fluid in the sarcoplasm of muscle cells while using a heavy weight for fewer repetitions could increase the thickness of individual muscle fibers, known as myofibrillar hypertrophy. For adults over the age of 45, the focus should definitely be on the latter, improving strength by using heavier resistance. This can enhance the force output of a muscle without significantly changing its size.

2. Strength training and plate-loaded machines can allow you to safely use the heavier amounts of resistance to deliver benefits. Strength training is completely safe for everyone, but free weight equipment like barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells and medicine balls require technical skills for optimal results. Machines allow for the greatest benefits with the lowest risk of injury.

3. Heavier weights increase intramuscular coordination, the number of motor unit units and muscle fibers engaged within a specific muscle. Have you ever felt your muscles shaking when using a heavy weight? This happens because you are activating the larger type II motor units and muscle fibers that are only engaged via heavy resistance or when working to fatigue.

4. Compound, multi-joint exercises like the leg press, shoulder press, seated row, chest press or lat pulldown can improve inter-muscular coordination, the ability of many muscles to work together to generate and control high levels of force through multiple joints.

5. Strength training can elevate levels of anabolic (muscle-building) hormones, specifically testosterone, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) that repair muscle fibers damaged during exercise. Even in the later years of life, strength training can help your body become more efficient at producing these muscle-building hormones. As a bonus, elevated levels of these hormones can help you to look younger too.   

6. Lifting heavy weights increases the hormone IGF-1, which is related to the production of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), a protein responsible for stimulating the growth of new neurons in the brain and enhancing communication pathways between existing neurons. In short, lifting heavy weights improves your strength, enhances muscular definition AND improves your brain health - time to go hit the gym! 

7. Strength training with heavy weights helps improve self-confidence. Knowing that you can lift heavy provides the confidence that you can handle common challenges such as placing a bag in the overhead bin on an airplane, carrying a heavy piece of furniture while reorganizing a room or bringing home heavy items from the store.

8. Strength training not only makes skeletal muscles stronger; it also improves function of the heart, specifically its ability to move blood around the body. That can mean a significantly reduced risk of heart attacks and a lower chance of developing chronic health conditions like high blood pressure or high cholesterol. 

9. Consistent strength training with heavy weights can result in the muscles remaining in a state of semi-contraction, which results in muscle definition. Heavy strength training better recruits larger type-II muscle fibers responsible for a muscle’s appearance. 

Finding YOUR Fountain of Youth

It will take some trial and error to identify the optimal amount of exercise that can help you find your fountain of youth. In general, you should perform 2-4 strength workouts, 1-3 mobility workouts and 2-4 cardio workouts per week. Obviously there are not 11 days in a week, there should always be some fluctuation of exercise intensity between training days. It takes approximately 48 hours to fully replace muscle glycogen, so following that recovery guideline, it’s possible to perform 3 full-body, high-intensity strength training workouts per week. The other days can be spent doing metabolic conditioning (cardio) or lower-intensity bodyweight exercises for mobility or core strength. 

When it comes to training for longevity and your fountain of youth, focus on consistency over intensity and you’ll love the results!

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