By: Barbell Logic Team
We always love it when strength training finds its way into major news outlets. This week we were pleased to see Strength Training for Seniors make its way onto Forbes.com.
We always love it when strength training finds its way into major news outlets. There is so much noise and misinformation in the fitness world that the benefits of doing something simple and hard are often lost. This week we were pleased to see Strength Training for Seniors make its way onto Forbes.com.
Robin Seaton Jefferson, a contributor for Forbes.com, covered a project for the science-backed benefits for strength training, titled “Do You Even Lift, Grandma? Why Older Adults Should Be Making Gains. It’s More Than Just Bro Science.” (click the link for the full article.)
The real gem of the article, however, is the project itself. A few months ago, Nick Rizzo, a biologist and former powerlifter, published “78 Science Backed Benefits of Weightlifting for Seniors” on the website RunRepeat.com. In the article, Rizzo breaks down published benefits of strength training for seniors from over 200 studies. He distilled those studies into 78 key conclusions and organized them into specific benefits directed at seniors:
- Combating age-related muscle loss and sarcopenia
- Burning fat and increased muscle mass
- Supporting functional independence
- Improving quality of life
- Improving osteoarthritis and bone health
- Greater cardiovascular health
- Improving mental health
- Better cognitive function
- Reducing Mortality Risk
- Fighting Type 2 Diabetes
- Greater Sleep Quality
- Improved mitochondrial health
- Recovering from hip fractures
Rizzo topped this all off with one-hundred and twenty-six footnotes to relevant studies for each of his conclusions.
This is worth a read and a share for anyone who might be on the fence about the benefits of strength training for general health and fitness.
Full Forbes.com Article (https://www.forbes.com/sites/robinseatonjefferson/2018/10/15/do-you-even-lift-grandma-why-older-adults-should-be-making-gains-its-more-than-just-bro-science/#4990c8ed6911)
Full RunRepeat.com Article (https://runrepeat.com/weightlifting-benefits-seniors)
