Anti-Aging: Spring, Summer and Fall Resistance Training

By Coach John Hughes

As we age resistance training becomes more important. I call it resistance training because strength training has the connotation of going to the gym and lifting free weights or using machines. You can do your resistance training at home without buying a lot of equipment.

Resistance training is any activity that makes your muscles do more than they are accustomed to doing during the routine activities of daily life. Examples include climbing stairs instead of taking the elevator, using a push lawnmower instead of a power mower, parking in the far corner of the parking lot and carrying bags of groceries instead of using a cart, digging in the garden and shoveling snow instead of hiring a neighbor kid.  Resistance training also includes exercises that use body weight for resistance (such as split squats, single leg squats, push-ups, pull-ups, and planks), lifting weights and working with resistance bands. Weights doesn’t have to mean barbells and dumbbells. A backpack or pair of grocery bags filled with heavy stuff (e.g., cans of food) work just as well.

Longevity

A study published in the BJSM examined the benefits of doing both aerobic and resistance exercise.  The study followed over 100,000 participants for 15 years.  At the beginning of the study participants were in their 50s. At the end of the study the mean age was 71.3 years and 52.6% were female. Participants had mean body mass index (BMI) of 27.8. The National Institute of Health defines overweight as a BMI of 25 – 29.9 (BMI is a useful measure for large groups. However, BMI isn’t applicable to individuals because they vary in bone density, muscle mass and other factors.

The researchers examined the relationship between moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and longevity. The current guidelines on physical activity for all adults recommend at least 150 weekly minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity, or a minimum of 75 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic activity, or an equivalent combination of the two. Meeting the recommended amounts of MVPA most weeks but not exercising with weights was associated with a 24-34% lower risk of death from any cause.

Researchers also examine the relationship between exercising with weights and longevity.  Working out with weights but not doing aerobic exercise was associated with a 9-22% lower risk of death. The risk reduction depended on the frequency.

“But the lowest risk of death was seen among those who said they did both types of physical activity.

“For example, the risk of death was 41-47% lower among those who said they met most recommended weekly levels of MVPA and who exercised with weights once or twice a week than it was among those who were physically inactive.” [Regularly exercising with weights linked to lower risk of death]

You can read more in these columns:

• Anti-Aging: New Exercise Recommendations
• Anti-Aging: Cardio? Strength? Both! Reports on multiple studies about strength training and longevity.

Atrophy

As we age our muscles atrophy unless we do some sort of resistance training. Maintaining muscle mass is essential for activities of daily living. Maintaining muscle mass allows you to be more active, which lowers the risk of chronic disease from disability and inactivity.

Periodization

The exercise guideline for resistance training is at least two non-consecutive days a week; however, if you have time a third day helps. But who wants to do three days of resistance training when it’s great cycling weather? Or even two days of resistance training?

Periodization means you do different types and amounts of exercises in different periods of the year. For cyclists I recommend resistance training:

• Spring – two days most weeks to maintain muscle size and strength.
• Summer – one day most weeks to minimize atrophy.
• Fall – two days most weeks to start to rebuild some muscles.
• Winter – three days most weeks to concentrate on building muscle strength while you’re riding less.

What

The improvements in, or maintenance of, muscular strength are specific to the muscles used during the activity, so a variety of activities is important. These should include legs, hips, chest, back, abdomen, shoulders and arms. Body weight exercises are better than machines because you are simultaneously strengthening the stabilizing muscles and improving bone density. Multi-joint exercises such as push-ups are more effective and make better use of your time than isolated muscle exercises like biceps curls and triceps extensions.

At a minimum you should do at least one kind of exercise for your legs, one pushing exercise for your upper body, one pulling exercise for your upper body and core exercises.

This column Anti-Aging: 4 Essential Year-Round Home Resistance Exercises has a variety of illustrated exercises for legs, upper body pushing, upper body pulling and core.

When

You need to recovery between resistance exercising so do your exercises on non-consecutive days. You don’t need to do all of your resistance exercises for your legs, upper body and core on the same day. Spend 10-15 minutes some days working on your legs, 10-15 minutes different days working on your upper body and 10-15 minutes other days strengthening your core.

Don’t your leg exercises on a cycling recovery day … because then it isn’t a recovery day! Do your leg exercises on day(s) you go for moderate rides.  Because cycling is more important go for your ride first and then later in the day work on your legs.

To Exhaustion

To be effective you need to do each exercise to exhaustion, i.e., you couldn’t do more stair climbing, snow shoveling, etc. (I did this yesterday shoveling my driveway!) If you’re using weights or resistance bands you shouldn’t be able to do one more repetition. One set of 8 to 12 repetitions of each exercise provides most of the gain in strength. Two or three sets will do a little more but aren’t necessary.

Efficient

In addition to increasing your longevity and fighting atrophy, resistance training has other benefits. While you’re doing resistance training you’re also working on

1. Balance, to reduce the risk of falling, the most common reason for visits to the ER for folks our age.

2. Bone strength, to prevent the loss of bone mass as you age.
3. Weight management, as your muscles atrophy from less use, they are replaced by fat and connective tissue.

Related columns:

• 5 Simple Exercises to Keep Cyclists Injury Free
• 6 Muscle Strengthening Exercises to Prevent Cramps
• Anti-Aging: Core Strength in 1 Hour a Week
• Anti-Aging: How to Do Strength Training Correctly
• Ask the Coach: Strength Training for Older Roadies
• Anti-Aging: 4 Reasons Why Year-Round Strength Training Is Good for You

My eBooks

My 10-page eArticle Preventing and Treating Cramps explains the leading theories of what causes cramps including fatigue of the nerves to your muscles and sodium depletion. The article describes what you can do to prevent cramps including sufficient conditioning to prevent fatigue of the nerves, stretching regularly, effective pacing and proper pedaling technique as well as the roles of hydration and electrolytes. The article illustrates with photos how to break the most common cramps by stretching gently and then how to flush the affected muscles to prevent them from cramping again. Preventing and Treating Cramps is $4.99

My four article bundle on Preventing Cycling’s Ailments includes:

1. Preventing and Treating Cramps
2. Butt, Hands, Feet: What you can do to prevent pain in these areas. I review the factors that contribute to discomfort on the bike including your choice of a bike, anatomical issues, bike fit and technique. I cover in detail the different causes of saddle sores, numb hands and hot foot, what to do to prevent these and how to treat each if necessary.
3. Nutrition for 100K and Beyond: The information in this column applies to all roadies no matter how far you ride. I teach you how to avoid hitting the wall with dead legs or bonking with a fuzzy depressed brain. I combines the best of current research with 40 years of riding experience to teach you proper sports nutrition for cycling. I cover how to estimate how many calories you are burning, what to eat and drink during a ride and what to eat and drink before and after rides.
4. Gaining a Mental Edge: How to use sports psychology to solve problems. I teach you the mental skills to deal with problems when they do occur.

The 66-page bundle Preventing Cycling Ailments Bundle: Butt, Hands, Feet; Cramps; Nutrition; Psychology is $15.99.

My eBook Anti-Aging: 12 Ways You Can Slow the Aging Process describes in detail different resistance training programs depending on your goal(s): 1) increase endurance, 2) address atrophy, 3) increase power for harder riding. I include 30 illustrated exercises for lower, body, upper body and core, which require very little special equipment. I explain how to combine resistance exercise with endurance and intensity training, which varies by season.  My 108-page eBook Anti-Aging: 12 Ways You Can Slow the Aging Process is $14.99.

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Coach John Hughes earned coaching certifications from USA Cycling and the National Strength and Conditioning Association. John’s cycling career includes course records in the Boston-Montreal-Boston 1200-km randonnée and the Furnace Creek 508, a Race Across AMerica (RAAM) qualifier. He has ridden solo RAAM twice and is a 5-time finisher of the 1200-km Paris-Brest-Paris. He has written over 40 eBooks and eArticles on cycling training and nutrition, available in RBR’s eBookstore at Coach John Hughes. Click to read John’s full bio.