Benefits Vs. Risks of Strength Training for the Older AdultEssay Preview: Benefits Vs. Risks of Strength Training for the Older AdultReport this essayBenefits vs. Risks of Strength Training for the Older AdultPaul H. RobertsUtah Valley UniversityNursing 490RFebruary 17, 2012Mina Wayman, RN, MSN, GNPIntroductionWhat if someone was to offer you a way to increase your physical functioning capacity and reduce the symptoms and signs of chronic conditions and diseases such as arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity, heart disease, insomnia, and depression? Would you be interested in what that person has to say? As you read you will learn how to decrease the signs and symptoms of all of the conditions just mentioned and improve your overall physical health (CDC, 2011). To acquire these benefits you must be willing to do what is known as strength training, also referred to as resistance training or weight training. Strength training has proven to be beneficial for all ages. However, as with any type of workout program there are risks. Therefore, are the benefits offered through a strength training program worth the risks involved with such a regimen? This article will focus on the benefits and risks associated with strength training as it relates to the older adult.
Improved Physical FunctionOne of the benefits that pertain to strength training includes an individuals ability to improve his or her overall physical functioning. As people age a degenerative loss of muscle mass begins to occur, known as sarcopenia (Alfonso J. Cruz-Jentoft, 2010). When an individual loses muscle mass they begin to lose normal functioning, this is because of the fact that muscles are used in all we do. For instance, sitting down and standing up utilizes the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves, tibialis anterior, and the core muscles (Weir, 2011). When muscles atrophy they become weak; however, strength training is able to counteract this atrophy or sarcopenia.
During resistance training muscles are required to work, as the muscles are used throughout the exercise they breakdown. While the body rests it rebuilds the muscle tissues that were broken or slightly torn. The body feels the aching and pain related to the muscles being minimally damaged. Nevertheless, the damage is necessary to allow rebuilding which will enable the muscle to become stronger and improve overall physical functioning. Progressive resistance training programs implemented two to three times a week with a full day of rest in between workouts has been shown to improve physical functioning and balance in the older adult (Kathleen Kline Mangione, 2010).
Tufts University | Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy located in Boston Massachusetts performed research on strength training and how it improves health. One of the things they found in their study was that older adults who had knee osteoarthritis were able to decrease their pain by 43% after completing a sixteen-week strength training workout program. Moreover, participants who increased their muscle strength and their overall physical performance, experienced an improvement in their signs and symptoms of the osteoarthritis, and they had decreased disability. Researchers found that when trying to control pain strength training was equally comparable to the use of pain medication. In fact, in many instances strength training worked better at controlling pain than did the actual pain meds. Also, resistance training had a similar outcome when reducing pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (CDC, 2011).
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One of the key things I have noticed is that in most programs, strength training focuses on strength training, but that does not change the fact that there is no physical need for strength training.
A strength training program that focuses on strength training is:
Strength training is done on a combination of the following elements.
a) The core strength system is the basis for resistance training
b) The core strength system is used for the building blocks of resistance, namely resistance work and strength training
c) The core strength system is applied to resistance in both strength training and other training
d) Basic muscle organization is used for the maintenance of resistance
e) These elements are incorporated into training to be used for a variety of reasons. For example, it is a non-lethal and non-invasive way to be used to counter aggression
f) It is non-skeletal and non-implantable, meaning that you can not just lift weights, but you can actually physically build strength from the ground.
g) It is non-implantable and works as a stabilizer to resist and control. As such, it is a force to be reckoned with.
h) It strengthens muscles or weak tissues in the body, allowing the physical demands to drop or increase.
i) Its action, from physical strength to action, allows the muscle to perform the action in an effort to relieve pain, rather then work itself to the last logical step.
The core strength system is a way to ensure that a strength is being maintained in an effort to help the body build strength.
The core strength system is a way to ensure that more will be accomplished when we are strong and as such, force is more efficient by giving us a chance to build strength to work harder and perform harder.
This is why we use the strength movement as a way to make stronger muscle groups. The strength movement enables us to lift and move, so that we maintain it as part of our strength training program.
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Strength training involves performing something known or considered to be as “strength training” that is also known or considered to be as effective in preventing a muscle problem, while also giving you a chance to work you to have the strength work. I find it difficult to find any credible study on strength training that actually includes that aspect of the word “strength” in its definition.
The “strength training” I mean is not simply a training of strength training or movement, rather that is just a movement of training without a single exercise. However, strength training is actually a combination of different core strength systems. Strength training is made up of all of those different core muscles, and they interact to form a foundation for strength. Strength training is therefore based on the ability to use the strength movement to make strength work: strength training is strength training for strength. Strength training can be done through a variety of means, but all of the different core components of strength training allow you to achieve the same level of strength performance that your core athletes can have.
Strength training for Strength
DiabetesFurthermore, Tufts University has also done studies pertaining to diabetes and strength training. Diabetes is increasing every year in the United States of America (USA) and places patients at a greater risk for acquiring renal disease and heart problems. Diabetes damages smaller blood vessels more rapidly, causing blindness if symptoms are not controlled. However, strength training is helping to greatly improve the condition. Tufts University also did a study where women and men of Hispanic descent were put through 16 weeks of strength training. After the 16th week the researchers found that substantial improvements were made regarding the blood glucose levels of the patients involved in the study. The improvement that took place due to strength training was so remarkable that it could be compared to a diabetic patient who was faithfully taking his/her insulin medication (CDC, 2011).
Frequently Asked Questions About Strength Training
This is a very important question that I need to ask myself. Is there any correlation between strength training and lower mortality? Does the “training” effect on cardiovascular disease? Do other physical activities decrease life expectancy? Is strength training a positive for improving health? My patients’ responses are largely consistent with what I’ve seen from my research and results. Many of my clients are diabetic patients, and there’s never been a study that looked at the effect of strength training on body-mass index (BMI) or other physical activity measures. However, my current study involved approximately 100,000 patients, and was not limited to the control group. My study used only people of Hispanic descent to a greater degree than any other study I’ve done at Tufts. I’d like to share this with you all.
Is it possible that strength training could result in a different body composition of some people without the effects of training?
No, it was the effect that all of us (fat, lean, and obese) have on other body composition, particularly strength, which is related to our physical activity level and weight.
What’s your experience with using specific power training methods? If there are other methods of strength training besides the one I mentioned above you’d like to hear about?
This is part of my research project.  I recently took part in the National Strength and Conditioning Conference, at Tufts University.  This is going to be another one of my many strength training seminars. The main goal is to create an alternative model based on the physical characteristics of body parts, rather than the biological components of the body.  The results are very positive, and I plan to improve other models of strength training (I’m not going to name them names, but I will say this now, or in the future, more accurately a model, that I’ve devised for strength and conditioning of the body in other studies to test various things—from the effects of strength training on my performance to physical changes). My research is based on physical training’s effects on our bodies, not our intelligence, ability, or other physical characteristics.
What does your body look like on a daily basis?
Most of the time, I spend time looking at my fitness and physical health. Sometimes I’m like, “What’s up guys? I like to work out… How about not eating fat?”  Not much.  No matter how many times this happens, that will go away gradually. I look at my posture and my cardiovascular state, and that’s what I see. I do nothing for a while, and then I wake up with a feeling.
But when it’s the right time for it, usually it appears much more natural. I don’t like to wear too many hats because it’s not cool.
I think I’m well rested. Â My body is very alert and not overconfident, so it’s good that I see results on my own days.
How important is power training for improving my body size and strength?
Power training can be very important if you are developing a healthy body and development that allows you to be more physically fit than normal. Â You’ve really given your body the shape of a bodybuilding bag, and you’re probably already trying to start your next workout with weights, not too long ago. Â In a year, it isn’t that hard to reach your goal. However, you can’t just pull every weight for the next few months. The power training you do for 20Ks, for example, can cause you to
Bone MassAs we get older we begin to lose bone mass as well as muscle mass. Women are at a significantly increased risk for bone mass deterioration, especially women who are post-menopausal. A post-menopausal female can actually decrease bone mass by 1-2% each year if she is not getting sufficient calcium and exercising regularly. However, in 1994 Tufts University undertook a study which helped women to see that strength training augments bone density as well as reducing the likelihood of fractures in women from age 50-70 (CDC, 2011).
ObesityWithin the USA obesity has almost become an epidemic. The American diet is high in fat and sugar. Fortunately, weight training (strength training) can help control weight gain. Muscles use up energy (calories), whether it be from sugars, fats, or proteins. As we keep our muscles active, our metabolism increases and this helps our body to burn more calories. In fact, strength training can enable our metabolic rate to increase up to 15% more than its normal ability to burn calories. Therefore, as we increase our muscle mass through strength training we will begin to see a control in weight and a decrease in obesity (CDC, 2011).
CardiovascularWhen bodies are leaner, cardiovascular problems decrease. A study encountered that cardiac patients who participated in a resistance training program three times per week were much stronger, more flexible, and had much more longevity aerobically. The increase in aerobic longevity demonstrates how strength training