5 Strength Training Tips For Baby Boomers & 3 Mistakes To Avoid

Baby Boomers are becoming more aware of the need to maintain a fit body but many of them aren’t aware of the benefits of strength training. For some their fitness routine involves a brisk walk every other day while maintaining a healthy diet. While this is excellent, most don’t know that including a few strength training routines into their fitness program will pay great dividends later on. Strength training exercises confer many benefits such as better balance, good posture, a high degree of energy, strong bones, well-toned muscles etc. all of which will help a person to maintain a great degree of independence later on in life. It helps in making a person more capable of handling every day activities later on such as the ability to lift objects or stand and sit easily. It also diminishes the affects of conditions like hypertension, osteoporosis, back pain, losing muscle mass and the deterioration of joints.

If you are a baby boomer looking to improve your fitness routine with exercises to help you have a stronger more fit body that allows you to be just as active when you are older, then it’s vital to include a few simple strength training exercises. This is just like making smart investments early on when you are younger—You have tons more fun when you retire.

Get started with a few simple exercises and you’ll begin to experience the benefits within a few weeks. Many baby boomers report feeling a lot more energized right off the bat.

Here are a few tips to get you going:

1) Before you begin these exercises consult your physician, especially if you have heart problems or other respiratory diseases.

2) Begin with hiring a qualified person trainer who will be able to guide you properly through these exercises according to your current fitness level. These exercises are a bit more complicated than others so it helps to have a personal trainer who can design a strength training routine for you. They’ll be able to make it varied enough so that it’s exciting for you even after a couple of weeks.

3) Strength training doesn’t mean huffing and puffing with barbells! You can work out at home or in the gym with free weights, tubes and stretch bands.

4) If you are apprehensive about the costs of hiring a personal trainer consider getting a few of your pals together and working out in a group. It costs less, everyone has more fun and you have more motivation to keep doing it.

5) Make sure that you work out each major muscle group twice a week with 8-12 repetitions per exercise. If you are over 50 then aim for 12-15 repetitions.

Also

1) Don’t try to do too much at the very beginning and train really hard. You may feel tempted to do a lot more because these exercises seem so easy but you’ll feel the effects of it the next day. Just begin with lightweights and the recommended number of repetitions. Many try to push their body to be as active as it was when they were younger and this can result in aches, pains and at worst, injuries. Doctors are seeing more orthopedic injuries involving baby boomers because of their tendency to overexert themselves and their ‘weekend warrior habits.’ Exercising heavily on the weekends alone isn’t as beneficial as regular moderate exercise

2) Don’t give up. Some people give up when they don’t see results fast or stop exercising when they slip up. Just keep at it and be content with making progress gradually.

3) Don’t train too often. Since these exercises tear down muscle tissue, it’s important to get adequate rest too. Give yourself a day’s break between exercise sessions.