Body Building Guru

Strength Training for Older Women: Its never too late

Strength training has a variety of benefits for individuals belonging to all age groups. It is the use of resistance opposed to muscular contraction and plays a vital role in developing strength, endurance and flexibility. There are various types of strength training exercises that use the force of muscles against other forces such as free weights, weight machines, resistance bands etc. to develop muscle strength and endurance. Strength Training for Older Women is a specialized branch of strength training that aims as improving the overall health and longevity. Most strength training exercises use the force of muscular contraction against resistance and elastic or hydraulic forces.  It is a combination of various exercises belonging to the field of weight training, resistance, flexibility training and isometric exercises. Strength training sessions performed for 2 to 3 times a week for 20 minutes go a long way in benefiting older women.

As the body, ages, it becomes more susceptible to injury and weakness. Strength Training for Older Women strengthens the muscles and bones, improves overall strength and helps them to perform day to day chores effortlessly. It is one of the best segments of exercise, as it focuses on the all-round development of the body rather than just focusing on a specific area. Strength training can be great fun if done properly and by applying the right techniques.

Before performing any strength training exercises, it is essential for you to take expert guidance from a certified trainer in order to acquire adequate information on the benefits, side effects and technicalities of the training program. Your trainer is the best person to demonstrate the various exercises and assist you in performing them smoothly. A lot of emphasis is laid on the application of the right technique as one wrong move can result in an injury. It is advisable for you to go in for a customized training program in order to avail maximum benefits. A tailor-made program will cater to the specific needs of your body and train you to achieve optimum gains.

Benefits of Strength Training for Older Women:
There are a number of benefits of strength training. These include:
•    Strength training enhances the body’s metabolism and supplied you with energy to perform various activities.
•    It provides relief to women suffering from osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, joint pain and lower back pain.
•    It helps maintain a well toned body.
•    It increases muscle mass, thereby accelerating the process of burning calories leading to weight loss.
•    It increases muscle fiber and burns muscle fat.
•    It increases bone density and maintains the health of the connective tissue (ligaments, tendons, cartilage).
•    It increases the strength of the muscles and develops endurance.
•    It increases the body’s flexibility.
•    It boosts self confidence and self esteem.
•    It increases the body’s resistance to injury and also aids in the process of recovery from injury.
•    It improves overall health and promotes longevity.

Tips for successful strength training:
Warm up: It is essential for you to conduct a mild warm up routine prior to performing any strength exercises. This gets the blood flowing to all parts of the body and increases the oxygen utilization in the body. 5 to 7 minutes of warm up exercises should be performed for maximum benefit. These include aerobics, a mild cardiovascular workout, skipping, jogging, etc, This should be followed by a stretching routine to reduce the risk of injury.
Selection of exercise: You must select at least one exercise for training each major muscle group such as the chest, triceps, biceps, quads, hamstrings etc. It is recommended that you start your session by working out the larger muscles first and then move on to the smaller ones. This results in maximum gains as the body is energized.
Full range of motion: It is essential for you to apply full range of motion while performing each rep in order to maximize the intensity of your workouts.
Exercise sequence: this is the most important of an exercise sequence. It is advisable from the larger muscle group to the smaller once. This allows for optimal gains as you are fresh and the body is low on fatigue.

Before enrolling yourself in any strength training program, it is essential for you to consult a registered medical practitioner in order to determine if your body is capable of handling the pressure involved or not. You must also discuss any ailments you might be suffering from such as high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, asthma, cancer, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis etc. with your doctor prior to joining any program.

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Commercial Fitness Equipment for exercising

Exercise and fitness are inseparable. You need to exercise in order to remain fit. Time restraints of account of demanding lifestyles and increased work timings have led to the development of several lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, cancers, heart disease, stress related disorders, insomnia, depression, hypertension etc. The best way to fight these ailments is through regular exercise. You need to join a gym, fitness canter or start working out at home in order to bring about complete health benefits. Appropriate fitness equipment is the backbone of every exercise program. It helps enhance your performance and motivates you to reach your goals faster.

There is a wide range of commercial fitness equipment available in the market these days. You must make your choice widely and depending upon your requirements and availability of space. You can choose from a number of brands and designs being launched on a daily basis in the health and fitness market. You can choose from a full line of fitness equipment such as treadmills, stationary bicycles, benches, weights, dumb bells, in-built gyms, lat machines, ellipticals, fitness balls, roman chairs etc.

Types of Commercial fitness equipment:
There is an array of health and fitness equipment in the market these days. The ideal fitness equipment is that which initiates wellbeing of the body and helps you carry out your workout regularly. It must be convenient, consistent and durable. It must facilitate all the exercises you are planning to take up as part of you routine fitness plan.

Exercise Equipment: There is a wide variety of equipment facilitating exercises. You selection depends on the type of exercises you are planning to do such as cardiovascular exercises, weightlifting exercises, stretching exercises, flexibility exercises etc. You could use a treadmill, stair climber, weight benches, Pilates, dumb bells etc.

Weight lifting Equipment: Weight training increases resistance, strength and flexibility. You can choose from dumb bells, abdominal attachments, home gyms, hydraulic equipment, jungle gyms, lower body equipment, free weights, bar bells, kettle bells, plates, toning bars etc.

Aerobic Equipment: This comprises of fitness balls, DVDS, fitness bands, toning bars, heavyhands etc.

Yoga Equipment: This requires you to invest in a good quality mat.

Resistance Equipment: This requires you to invest in balance beams, balance pads, exercise balls, balance boards etc.

Other than all this commercial fitness equipment also consists of trampolines, medicine balls, hand grippers, gloves, weight bells, ankle and wrist bands, lifting straps, lifting platforms, heart rate monitors, pedometers, elliptical trainers, multi-gyms, plyo boxes, squat racks etc.

Over exercising:
It is necessary to exercise on a daily basis but indulging in too much of exercising can is also hazardous to the body. When you exercise, your muscles tend to become tired and need relaxation. If you exercise your tired muscles, you can end up with an injury and the muscles might even sag. It is during your rest period that your muscle tissues will rebuild yourself. To initiate development and growth you must take adequate rest or there will be no gains from the exercises.

Diet: Along with exercise you must also take in adequate amount of calories. A well balanced diet consists of 40% proteins, 40% carbohydrates and 20% fats of the total caloric value.

Water: You must drink at least 8-10 glasses of water on a daily basis as this keeps the body hydrated, enhances metabolism and flushes out the harmful toxins from the body. You must make it a regular habit to drink water before, in-between and after your work outs.

Exercising on a regular basis is important along with consuming a nutritious diet and taking proper rest. You must remember that any amount of exercise is better than none. Fitness equipment is a necessity for enhancing your health and keeping you motivated. A well toned body is the outcome of regular exercising and elimination of fast foods, processed foods and frozen foods from your diet. It also means that you need to adopt a healthier lifestyle focusing on a round the clock fitness plan.  Health is wealth and if you want to succeed in every realm of life you must pay first priority to your health.

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