Getting older? Then do leg strength.

I’m 41 in a few weeks. Ok ok I know it’s not ancient! But evidentially, as I’ve done leg strength exercises for at least 20 years now, they have had a huge effect on injury prevention. Once a week (or twice a week later in the year) I do a leg day. As a cyclist, I find it really helps my riding but I also do it for all round suppleness. Leg strength, be it in the form of deadlifts, squats, lunges, calf raises and all manner of other variations, aid in pain management and there are a huge amount of benefits for the elderly (yes yes I know I’m not ‘elderly’ but hang on). The older we get, the stiffer we get, done correctly leg strength exercises really helps you stave away aches and pains and I’ll go into why later.

I think I went into deadlifts in a recent blog, take it from me that if you don’t deadlift at the moment I would recommend adding them into your weekly regime. It is just a fantastic all round exercises that helps not just legs, but back suppleness too. The main thing with deadlifts is progression, don’t go straight in thinking that you need to lift 100kg. You will see results at the beginning lifting nothing at all, add weight to the bar every week but never jump huge amounts. 5kg increments is usually a good and safe indicator of progression, if you have a proper Olympic barbell that will weight from 15-20kg on its own, so factor that in too.

How leg strength helps as you age

The older we get, the more we lose our balance, muscle mass and flexibility. The ‘powerhouse’ muscle of the body is the glutes. These are the biggest muscles in the body located in each of your butt-cheeks. Strengthening these muscles will have a profound effect on balance, the glutes stabilise us as we walk so conditioning them is a no-brainer.

Leg strength actually makes bones stronger

Bone conditions like osteoporosis affect a huge number of us as we age, fragility from a wide range of ailments means that as we age our bones become much weaker. It’s been PROVEN that specific strength exercises actually stimulate bone cell activity. Squats for example, if done consistently, actually BUILD bone density around the stimulated joints. Basically, as the joint is put under strain the body reacts, new bone cells are produced and you get stronger. So doing leg strength as we age really is a no brainer, if you want stronger bones and so in turn, less injuries….start a regime today!

Leg strength will help your mental health as you age

Here me out here. I’ve been training people a long time, the evidence shows greater strength in the elderly improves mental health and I’ll give you an example. Recently, I took on an elderly lady who was beginning to have trouble with painful joints. She also admitted that she was starting to go out less as she began to feel more and more frail and vulnerable. I gave her a simple leg strength regime that would build muscle and guess what? Within a few short months of consistent training she began to gain strength, and began building her self-confidence up again by ‘trusting her strength’ as I call it. I literally saw with my own eyes a client who first came to me with really low self-esteem, change into a bubbling optimistic new woman! All this was down to a simple strength regime and loads of consistency.

Start leg strength ASAP, this means you

An increase in bone cells, greater self-esteem, less risk of injury and more muscle mass. Everything adds up to just a consistently more healthy and happy person. I’ve seen it with my own eyes over the last eight (nearly nine) years. Taking the first steps are always the hardest as the body fights and the ego wants you to stay the same. Tired achy muscles are normal, as is the resistance to train, you are not special, it will get easier! Squats, deadlifts, lunges, calf raises. Make these exercises your mantra, It doesn’t matter that you have to do them sat down or variations of them to begin with, we all have to start somewhere. Just trust in the fact and take heart from the fact that leg strength for the elderly only helps. So get on it!

As usual if you want help or free tips on starting a regime just get in touch. I don’t bite. Also if you are enjoying these blogs please comment and follow it really does help. Thanks, peace out and enjoy your weekend.