Twenty-something years ago, I was working as a personal trainer, and I received a new client named Harry. Harry was 84-years-old and had never lifted weights in his life. He had read about a (then) recent study from Tufts University that found that weight training decreased the reliance of a sample of nursing home patients on assistance devices like walkers and canes. Harry decided to gift himself a personal trainer to help rid himself of his cane.
Harry showed up his first workout in Bermuda shorts, a Polo-style shirt, dark socks, and loafers—and with a cane, of course. His gait reminded me of the Tim Conway character on the old ‘Carol Burnett Show’. He had an extremely slow, shuffling walk. (Something that required a bit of adjusting for a long-stride, speed walker, like myself.)
I worked with Harry for about 3 months. We adapted exercises a bit and did a lot of hip work. In that time, Harry’s gait improved significantly, and he merely carried his cane.
He was not the only senior adult with whom I worked in that season of life. The range of abilities in these seniors was broad, but, whatever limitations these wonderful people had, they were (for the most part) reversible. As well, all were capable of training much like anyone else.
There is a tendency to teach aging as a disability. In my academic division, we are currently having curriculum discussions, and a course that is being floated is “Exercise and Aging”, which is a fine idea, perhaps, though the tendency in such courses is to emphasize the “inevitable” decline in performance that results from aging. I am opposed to such an approach.
For the most part, the physical decline that is seen with aging is attributable to physical inactivity not some pre-programmed physiology. It is true that there are more health issues with older adults, but, with the exception of a few (e.g., Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, etc.), these are classified as hypokinetic diseases. In other words, these are attributable to a lack of physical activity, not aging, per se. Thus, our considerations for exercise for the aging adult are no different than for the younger adult—e.g., bioenergy systems, muscle fiber physiology, cardiovascular response, overload, progression, specificity, etc. Like any individual, we have to consider individual differences and goals. We might need to modify exercise because of individual limitation—not age. Otherwise, the same basic exercise prescriptions apply no matter the age. One is limited only by experience, interests, and physical ability. There is no reason why an 84-year-old should not squat, deadlift, bench press, shoulder press, and row—other than medical contraindications.
My recommendations for the aging exercises include (perhaps, a limited list):
Stay active. We may see a decline in muscle mass of roughly 10% from the age of 25 years to 50 years. Why? Because “life” start to really happen around the age of 25 years—job, family, financial responsibilities, etc. We retire from sports and exercise and grow increasingly sedentary. These need not happen. I teach my students that all they need to do is try to maintain—the result is a perceived level of fitness, as one’s peers decline over time. It is always easier to maintain than to regain physical fitness.
Be smart. If one has been inactive for some period of time, it is unwise—and unsafe—to think that one can just pick up where they left off. Rebuild the foundation and progress slowly.
Train to the weaknesses. We tend in exercise to train what shows. Young guys, for example, are prone to focusing on bench and bicep curls.
Aging adults should (as all athletes should) prioritize hip and rotator cuff exercise before aggressively progressing the ‘basic five’ (i.e., squat, deadlift, bench, press, and rows). Strong hips (abductors, adductors, extensors, and flexors) are essential for maintaining a strong gait and can help prevent a lot of injuries.
Build stability. I will often start beginning exercisers on machines to build a feel for how the muscle should contract before progressing to more free-weight exercises. I find this especially beneficial for children and older adults. As quickly and safely as possible, though, there is benefit in progressing to free-weight movements—particularly compound and complex movements—that are more functional and require more stability. And remember to build a solid core.
Don’t forget motor skill-related fitness. Often, we focus primarily on the health-related components of fitness (cardiorespiratory, muscle strength, muscle endurance, flexibility, and body composition) and neglect the motor skill-related fitness (speed, power, agility, coordination, balance, and reaction time). This is especially true with the older adult. (Perhaps because we believe that these are only for athletes?) I would stress that these are equally important for the aging adult. How we approach these might be different for the older adult than the athlete, but important nonetheless. These are not skills to neglect until they are lost.
Create the habit of exercise early. Too many adults wait until they are significantly out of shape to return to the gym. In some cases, this can be too late. In most cases, it will require far more effort than had one remained moderately active. Losing fat is harder than maintaining a healthy body composition. Gaining muscle (particularly as one ages) is harder than maintaining muscle mass. (Constant cycling of fat gaining and losing is also detrimental to maintaining muscle mass.)
Encourage physical activity as a young age. Stand up for the restoration on physical education (i.e., Kennedy era P.E.) in schools. Involve your children in multiple sports and physical activities. The best preventive measure that a woman can do against osteoporosis is weight-bearing exercise prior to the first menses. (I predict an increase in male osteoporosis over the coming decades because of the increasing levels of inactivity among pre- and adolescent boys.) Obesity and poor fitness in children will only grow worse in adulthood. If decline is inevitable (and some is—the rate of decline is mostly self-determined), it is best to begin from a higher starting point.
Aging is, indeed, terminal. The process by which we age is up to us. Choose to age well. Be active. Despite our advancing age, we can be our best today and be better (relatively speaking) tomorrow.
Carpe momento!