More about strength training

Last time I talked about the Department of Health (DoH) recommendations for the amount of exercise needed to promote good health. We all know about the 150 minutes per week of aerobic exercise. However in surveys of compliance with the recommendations, few seemed aware of the strength training component.

The DoH recommendations:

“adults should engage in strength-based exercises on at least two days per week, focusing on major muscle groups like legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms, to maintain muscle mass and bone density.” The benefits quoted are “Strength training helps to delay the natural decline in muscle mass and bone density that occurs with age, improving ability to perform daily tasks.” 

The DoH goes on to say:

“Muscle strength, bone health and the ability to balance underpin physical function,
particularly later in life. Each attribute contributes independently to overall health and
functional ability, and in combination they provide lifelong benefits.

“Muscle and bone strength play a critical role in ensuring good muscular and skeletal
health, and in maintaining physical function. When undertaking muscle strengthening
activities, it is important to work all the major muscle groups. Bone strengthening involves
moderate and high impact activities to stimulate bone growth and repair.

“Strengthening activities are important throughout life for different reasons: to develop
strength and build healthy bones during childhood and young adulthood; to maintain
strength in adulthood; and to delay the natural decline in muscle mass and bone density
which occurs from around 50 years of age, maintaining function in later life.”

Is it ever too late?

We are talking mainly about frailty and all the ills that it brings. A very important risk of frailty is that it allows even minor events to trigger major changes in health from which the individual may fail to return to their previous level. For instance having a fall or an infection can further reduce already inadequate activity and physical fitness. This in turn worsens all the features of frailty and so it goes on.

However this sad state of affairs can be turned around. Regular strength training can increase both physical and functional performance but a good level of training is needed and it must be continued.  A study of nonagenarians (aged 90+) living in care homes tested the effectiveness of muscle training. A group given a programme of strength training showed clear improvement in self-care ability but on follow-up very few continued the programme and the overall benefits were soon lost.

Any suggestions?

Look back to the last blog – taking up the XBX or 5BX programme answers all the requirements for effective MSE. Failing that, here is a suggested regime:

Each morning perform the following exercises, starting at a low level and gradually increasing the repetitions:

1. Press ups. Start with the number of which you are capable – one or two is not too few. Build up each week by one repetition per session until you reach a level which feels sustainable – perhaps 5 , 10 or 15 repetitions.
   
2. Sit ups. Follow the same regime as the press ups
3. Planks: Start by holding this position for 5 or 10 seconds and gradually build up to 1 minute.
   
4. Wall sits: Start by holding this position for just 5 seconds and increase as for planking to 30 seconds daily.

Next time I will talk about exercise as medicine.