Reaching 50 years of age is the optimal time to regain strength and give a dose of youth to the muscular tissues of the body.At this age, the decline in muscle loss caused by age usually increases.
The peak of muscle development or maturation occurs at age 20; From there it begins a decline, but it is estimated that the body loses 1% to 2% of its muscle mass per year after the age of 50 and accelerates to 3% per year after the age of 60.
It is for this reason that with advancing age, instead of sitting down to rest, the body needs to move and reduce the probability of cardiovascular problems, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and cancer.
A meta-analysis by Saeidifard found that lifting weights and performing cardiovascular training were associated with a 40% decrease in all-cause mortality, while lifting weights was only associated with a 21% reduction in all-cause mortality, something that also benefits us.
Here, are some of the most frequently asked questions in this matter:
Why is strength lost?
Complex multifactorial changes in the quantity and quality of muscle fiber are complex, protein synthesis rates, alpha-motor neurons in the spinal cord, anabolics, and the production of sex hormones are poorly understood.These changes combine to result in a slower, smaller contraction muscle with impaired ability to generate sufficient force and power for physical activities.
How Much Strength Training Should You Do?
Everything is possible, but there is a lot of evidence that confirms that up to twice a week can generate very positive effects on strength and body composition, in training that works the whole body, with multi-joint exercises oriented in movement patterns (lunge, deadlifts, rows, shoulder press …) and you can also think of isolated exercises such as elbow curls for biceps or elbow extensions for triceps and more.
How Much Cardio Exercise Should You Get?
It is best to combine it, what we know as low intensity exercise such as jogging-walking but also what is little more demanding such as HIIT workouts such as interval work takes an intense work time and a recovery time in a short period.
Cardiovascular training recommendations:
Select and experiment with the modality (treadmill, bike, rowing, etc.) and the training variables (duration / distance or work-rest ratios with HIIT)
1-2 training sessions per week
Sessions lasting 20 to 40 minutes
Resistance training recommendations:
Select exercises based on movement patterns. For each exercise, perform 2-3 sets of 50-70% of maximum repetitions (approximately a weight with which you can perform a maximum of 8-13 repetitions) Then 1 minute or more of rest between sets is ideal for building muscle and force.Do resistance training at least once or twice a week.
