If You Want to Get Stronger, Routine Is the Enemy

To get the most out of your strength training, try progressive overload. It is the core of every strength training program. The concept is one in which you gradually increase either The weight, repetitions, difficulty, intensity or some combination.

Strength training, Especially as you age, improves cardiovascular health, blood pressure and bone density and reduces the risk of lower back pain. But none of that happens without progressive overload.

Overload doesn’t mean you have to clean and jerk 200 pounds, however. It doesn’t even require lifting heavier weights. You can challenge your muscles by doing a more difficult movement — lunges instead of squats — or doing it faster.

A New Start

Joan Macdonald faced growing health problems before she began lifting weights, shattering preconceptions about what’s possible in your eighth decade. She is pictured above. "I was sick, tired and had lost myself – until I began lifting weights at 71" says Joan.

“There is a misconception that people over 65 cannot produce hypertrophy [growth] of the muscle,” says Mark Peterson, an associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Michigan. “Muscle is a tissue that can adapt with stimulus.” The key is to check with a doctor first, and start slowly.

Overload doesn’t require weights, but they help.

Going into your garage and lifting the same dumbbells the same number of times for weeks on end will lead to a workout plateau where you stop building additional muscle mass. Muscles grow when challenged, causing microscopic tears in the fibers that the body repairs with stronger muscles.

Pick your exercises and weights

Start by lifting twice a week and increase to three or four times a week, if your body feels strong and you want more rapid progress. Write down your weights and reps as you progress.

Pick three different movements total, such as Lunges, squats, bench press or shoulder press. You can do the exercises all on one day, or split them up between days. Build in rest days for your muscles to recover.

Weeks 1 to 4

Three sets of 12 to 15 reps: For the first two weeks, use a weight that feels easy and work on your form. If you’re unsure of the correct form or worried about injury, book a session with a trainer for guidance. For the second two weeks, add a small amount of weight, about 5 percent, to each lift. This may be too easy if you started out with a relatively light weight, so increase more than that if you want a greater challenge.

Weeks 5 to 8

Three sets of 8 to 12 reps: Start with a weight that’s 5 to 10 percent more than what you ended with the previous week. You’ll notice you can add more weight for exercises that use the biggest muscles in your body, such as a squat, as opposed to movement that uses a smaller muscle, like a bicep curl.

Increase the weight by 5 to 10 percent every week, as long as you can maintain good form.

Weeks 9 to 12

Three sets of 5 to 8 reps: This is where it should start to get tough. You’ve been building your muscles for eight weeks, so now it’s time to challenge yourself. Find a weight where your last repetition feels difficult.

Increase the weight by 2.5 percent to 5 percent every week, maintaining good form.

Rest Week

Next, take a week off, either lifting very light weights or taking a complete break from weight lifting. Then you can start the program over again, either with new exercises or the same — but with heavier weights.

Contact

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