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Strength Training for Seniors: Increase your Balance, Stability, and Stamina to Rewind the Aging Process
Building and retaining physical strength is integral to living a fuller, longer life. Lifting weights can reduce the symptoms of everything from osteoarthritis and back pain to depression and diabetes. In Strength Training for Seniors, certified personal trainer Paige Waehner provides a detailed twelve-week strength program to help you safely and gradually build power, balance, and resistance with simple, easy-to-follow exercises. Strength Training for Seniors outlines the physical and mental benefits that arise from instituting a strength training program, and includes instructions for numerous different exercises that Improve balance and decrease fear of fallingIncrease self-esteem and independenceRelieve pain throughout your bodyAnd so much more! Not only will your body be stronger for the future after following the guidelines in Strength Training for Seniors, but you'll also build your confidence to do more in life.
185 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 3, 2020
559 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 2, 2022
The first ½ of this book is explaining why strength training for seniors is a good idea. The second half is a program of strength training with pictures and descriptions of the exercises. The theory is good, the exercises are good. The only thing it misses is getting me off the sofa to do the exercises. Apparently knowing why isn’t sufficient to motivate me, or I would have been doing them for years now.
January 1, 2022
This is a detailed, well explained guide that will enable seniors to improve their strength and flexibility. It has good explanations on why strength training is so important for seniors, sets a structured 12 week program that starts with warm ups using light weights and progresses to a slighter more difficult workout that most seniors should be able to manage over time.
January 2, 2021
Very very basic, aimed I believe at the sedentary.
August 25, 2023
Well it was a really cheap deal on Kindle and I thought that I would learn something from it. Did I? Yes, I think I have learned a few things and I certainly have a nice catalogue of exercises that I can try. However, I think my current routine is probably a good compromise between the time it takes and the benefits it delivers. And,, it seems to me that If I tried doing the routines that Paige suggests, I might be devoting a fair slice of my day to it.
Paige starts from the perspective that "we can’t stop the aging process, which is determined by our genes, but there are other factors that affect how we age such as nutrition, stress, smoking, and exercise. By focusing on these things, especially strength training, your biological age may just end up being a lot younger than your chronological age. That means not just living longer, but enjoying living longer. Whether you’re already active and exercising or it’s been a while, this book will show you exactly what you need to do to work on building lean muscle tissue, strength, and stamina. You’ll also work on some of the most important aspects that your body needs to age well and avoid injuries and falls: balance, core strength, and stability."
OK, that all sounds pretty reasonable and a good reason to exercise but she also says: "Studies show that for seniors, starting weight training helps you avoid age-related muscle loss, which is integral for being strong, being independent, and preventing injuries".
And something that I haven't really focused on is that "we should lift weights because strength training can actually help reduce inflammation, giving you some protection from these inflammation related concerns".
She also makes the point that "as we age, flexibility naturally declines because our muscles shrink and we lose some muscle fibers. Tendons also lose water content, which is what causes us to feel stiff, especially when we wake up in the morning".
It was encouraging read that "we should do what we can—We’ve all had old conditions flare up and, sometimes it’s just a matter of doing whatever you can to stay moving. Maybe that’s just taking a short daily walk, doing some simple stretches, or just walking around the house. It all counts.
And it was helpful to have some sensible advice about equipment: for example get a variety of dumbbells : For men, light: 5 to 8 pounds, medium: 8 to 10 pounds, Heavy: 10 to 12 pounds. And, a useful tip: "Let’s say you’re doing an exercise for ten repetitions, which is typical of many exercises. If you get to the tenth repetition and you feel like you could do a lot more, that’s a good sign you could go heavier". One rule of thumb is that, if you can keep going after the last rep of your set, increase your weight by about 5 percent. Since weights come in certain increments, you may not be able to do exactly 5 percent, which is just fine. Just increase the weight by what you have and adjust your reps so that you keep perfect form.
However, you can progress and change your workouts by a) adding more weight and reducing your reps to around 8 to 10 or b) reduce the weight you’re using and increase reps to 16... beyond that number you won’t see much of an improvement unless you’re doing body weight exercises such as push-ups.
She suggests working on the major muscle groups which include the chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, lower body, and core and says that one should aim to lift weights on at least two non-consecutive days a week.
Just a few items which took my attention: "Under the rectus abdominis that wraps around your spine......if you can imagine someone about to punch you, this is the muscle that contracts to protect you and your spine. When you do a plank (which you will do in this program), that’s the muscle you’re strengthening.
And keep joints slightly bent—In many exercises, you’re lifting limbs up, overhead, to the sides, and other directions. What you don’t want, generally, is to lock the joints, which can put pressure on them. Many exercises will instruct you to keep a slight bend to avoid that.
Over all, a useful book that I may come back to. The photos are especially helpful I give it three stars.
Paige starts from the perspective that "we can’t stop the aging process, which is determined by our genes, but there are other factors that affect how we age such as nutrition, stress, smoking, and exercise. By focusing on these things, especially strength training, your biological age may just end up being a lot younger than your chronological age. That means not just living longer, but enjoying living longer. Whether you’re already active and exercising or it’s been a while, this book will show you exactly what you need to do to work on building lean muscle tissue, strength, and stamina. You’ll also work on some of the most important aspects that your body needs to age well and avoid injuries and falls: balance, core strength, and stability."
OK, that all sounds pretty reasonable and a good reason to exercise but she also says: "Studies show that for seniors, starting weight training helps you avoid age-related muscle loss, which is integral for being strong, being independent, and preventing injuries".
And something that I haven't really focused on is that "we should lift weights because strength training can actually help reduce inflammation, giving you some protection from these inflammation related concerns".
She also makes the point that "as we age, flexibility naturally declines because our muscles shrink and we lose some muscle fibers. Tendons also lose water content, which is what causes us to feel stiff, especially when we wake up in the morning".
It was encouraging read that "we should do what we can—We’ve all had old conditions flare up and, sometimes it’s just a matter of doing whatever you can to stay moving. Maybe that’s just taking a short daily walk, doing some simple stretches, or just walking around the house. It all counts.
And it was helpful to have some sensible advice about equipment: for example get a variety of dumbbells : For men, light: 5 to 8 pounds, medium: 8 to 10 pounds, Heavy: 10 to 12 pounds. And, a useful tip: "Let’s say you’re doing an exercise for ten repetitions, which is typical of many exercises. If you get to the tenth repetition and you feel like you could do a lot more, that’s a good sign you could go heavier". One rule of thumb is that, if you can keep going after the last rep of your set, increase your weight by about 5 percent. Since weights come in certain increments, you may not be able to do exactly 5 percent, which is just fine. Just increase the weight by what you have and adjust your reps so that you keep perfect form.
However, you can progress and change your workouts by a) adding more weight and reducing your reps to around 8 to 10 or b) reduce the weight you’re using and increase reps to 16... beyond that number you won’t see much of an improvement unless you’re doing body weight exercises such as push-ups.
She suggests working on the major muscle groups which include the chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, lower body, and core and says that one should aim to lift weights on at least two non-consecutive days a week.
Just a few items which took my attention: "Under the rectus abdominis that wraps around your spine......if you can imagine someone about to punch you, this is the muscle that contracts to protect you and your spine. When you do a plank (which you will do in this program), that’s the muscle you’re strengthening.
And keep joints slightly bent—In many exercises, you’re lifting limbs up, overhead, to the sides, and other directions. What you don’t want, generally, is to lock the joints, which can put pressure on them. Many exercises will instruct you to keep a slight bend to avoid that.
Over all, a useful book that I may come back to. The photos are especially helpful I give it three stars.
January 16, 2025
I was looking for a simple guide to get my mom started on a strength training routine and this 12 week plan is very clear and simple. I think it's going to be more than 12 weeks for us to get through it but we're on the slow and steady plan.
July 23, 2021
great book for seniors with lots of great information as to the why its important and great pictures showing the how to.
September 1, 2021
Well organized and easy to follow
All you need to add is your willingness and effort. I didn't have much to say so that's about it.
All you need to add is your willingness and effort. I didn't have much to say so that's about it.
February 20, 2022
Useful information.
July 12, 2024
enjoyed the 12 weeks of combined strength and core and balance exercises that Paige presents increasing the stamina as the 12 weeks goes along.
As Paige says "exercise keeps you strong and independent. Focus on your quality of life. Stay motivated to care for your body for the present and for the future." Think about what you want to get out of life every day (eg gardening) and specifically calculate the movements those tasks require then focus on strengthening those movements.
Her tips: create a schedule, put it on your calendar, mix things up, experiment, reverse order of exercises for variety, keep exploring, while remember what you learned from her 12 week program.
As Paige says "exercise keeps you strong and independent. Focus on your quality of life. Stay motivated to care for your body for the present and for the future." Think about what you want to get out of life every day (eg gardening) and specifically calculate the movements those tasks require then focus on strengthening those movements.
Her tips: create a schedule, put it on your calendar, mix things up, experiment, reverse order of exercises for variety, keep exploring, while remember what you learned from her 12 week program.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews