Strength training is for any age and stage!
Staying active is always important, but especially as we age. One approach has been called the most powerful tool to keep your body strong and healthy.
Julie Labrum calls strength training the fountain of youth. She is the director of fitness at the Treehouse Athletic Club with a degree in exercise and sports science. She shared how you can get strong at any age in any stage.
Benefits of Strength Training
Strength training has a lot of benefits for women. Julie emphasized that “cognitive health is one of the main things I like to promote.”
Strength training improves brain plasticity and enhances motor neuron connections. “When you work on the muscles, you really talk mind to body and you fire the muscles up that might have been not functioning as well,” Julie explained.
Strength training also strengthens bones and muscles, reduces the risk of osteoporosis, and improves balance. Julie noted, “When we strengthen the muscle, the bone also strengthens too.”
Additionally, you may see better sleep, better mood, and more energy as a result of strength training.
Overcoming Barriers
A few things tend to hold women back from strength training. Not having time, not making time, or not finding the right group of friends can make this form of exercise seem out of reach. Julie suggested finding a supportive community. This can increase consistency and motivation. She believes that “if you find the right group of friends or a private place, then your consistency will go up and you’ll start seeing those benefits.”
Alternatives to Weights
Weights are the obvious way to strength train, but they aren’t the only option. Julie mentioned that bodyweight exercises and resistance bands are convenient and portable. “Bands and body weight exercises are super popular,” she explained. “If you think about your own body being a weight, you can put that on a hill and walk. You can put a bench and step up and down. You can use a floor for push ups and sit ups. Those are really quick and easy ways to get things done in a short amount of time.”
So if you don’t want to go use the machines in that intimidating corner of the gym, bands give a great workout too. “They lengthen and shorten the muscle, but both of them are under tension,” Julie explained.
The Science Behind Strength Training
Julie explained that strength training involves micro-tearing of the muscles, which then rebuild stronger. She used the analogy of a tug of war: “If you fail at a challenge, the muscle recruits more motor fibers so that the next time you pull the rope, you’ve got more power.”
To really get the most out of strength training, you want to push yourself. “You want the muscle to fatigue, or load enough that you’re struggling,” Julie said. “By the end of 10, 11, 12 reps, you’re struggling enough. It should be hard.”
When it comes to seeing results, Julie said sometimes we can get a false sense by looking at the scale. “The good thing about muscle is it takes up less space, but it’s denser,” Julie explained. “So the the scale might be higher, but our clothes fit better.”
Frequency and Duration
Julie recommended strength training four days a week for 20 to 30 minutes each session. If every other day is what works for you, she suggested 30 to 45 minutes per session. This routine builds muscle and boosts your mood and energy. Julie stated, “You’re going to get that mood boost from endorphins, serotonin, dopamine release, and you’re going to feel confident.”
Find more advice from Julie at the Treehouse Athletic Club or on Instagram @julie_today.
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