Canonical Hour

If you are considering adding strength exercise to your
exercise program, your workout will have better results if you
do the exercises in the most effective way.

Number One Rule when you strength train: if it hurts, don’t
do it.. If any exercise causes pain, stop immediately. Modify
the exercise or do another exercise that works the same
body parts but is not painful. If you are just learning the
exercise, reread the instructions to make sure you’re doing
it correctly. Pain is your body’s signal that it is not happy, so
listen to it. You should be able to tell the difference between
soreness and a pain that signals injury.

Drink up.
Unless your doctor has asked you to limit fluids, be sure to
drink plenty of water when you are doing exercise that
makes you perspire. Many older people tend to be low on
fluid much of the time, even when not exercising. The
experts tell us that we lose our sense of thirst as we get
older, so we need to drink even when we don’t feel
thirsty.

Will my muscles get really big?
Ladies, don’t worry that you will bulk up like Arnold
Swartzeneggerit won’t happen. You would have to take
steroids and other drugs in order to get really big muscles.
However your muscles will become more toned and you’ll
be able to see their outlines. Friends may ask if you’ve lost
weight, but you haven’t; you’ve lost fat and gained muscle.
Men will develop larger muscles because their bodies
contain more testosterone. But they also would have to take
steroids and work out harder than we do in order to look like
Arnold Swartzenegger.

Please warm up.
Make sure you warm up your body before you work out. You
risk injury if you don’t. In my strength training workout, we do
a two- to three-minute warm-up with mild stretching before
we do the strength training exercises. You need to move
your body to loosen up joints and warm up muscles. You
can warm up by walking or moving about for several
minutes or you can do resistance exercises without weights
to warm up. Dance or march around the houseanything
that feels goodbut please do not neglect to warm up
before beginning your workout. A suggested warm-up is
included in my book.

How often should I work out?
You should work out two or three times a weeknot on
consecutive daysbecause it takes at least 48 hours for
your body to recover after a workout. When you lift weights,
the muscles are damaged because you ask them to work
harder than they ordinarily do. The strain of exercise creates
tiny tears in muscle tissue and your body produces proteins
to repair them. Over time, the proteins accumulate which
makes the muscle fibers larger and stronger. In fact, your
muscles rebuild themselves stronger than they werejust
in case you ask them to lift heavy weights again. This
process takes a minimum of 48 hours; therefore workouts
should be at least two days apart. If you want to lift weights
every day, you can do exercises for the upper body one day
and the lower body the next.

Be sure to do cardiovascular exercise in addition to strength
training.

Alternate your workouts with cardiovascular exercise such
as brisk walking or get involved in a sport you enjoy, such as
tennis or golf. The experts disagree on the amount of
cardiovascular work you should do, but I suggest that at the
very least, you go for a brisk 30-minute walk at least five
times a week. Notice I said “brisk” walking. Moseying is
better than nothing, but actually the faster, the better. You
need to get your heart rate up and your lungs cleaned out.

You’ll be tired after your first workout.
The first few workouts you do when you begin a new
strengthening program will leave you feeling exhausted
because you’ve used muscles that have not been working.
After a few weeks, your workouts should leave you feeling
invigorated.

If you’re still tired a couple of days after your workout, you
may be over stressing your body and you should reduce the
intensity of your workoutprobably by reducing the amount
of weight or by reducing the number of repetitions or
sets.

When muscles become sore.
Sometimes students tell me they could hardly walk for a
couple of days after their first workout. Upper body muscles
may also be sore. If this happens the day after your first
workout, it’s because you have used muscles that were not
used to working and you slightly damaged the
microscopic-sized muscle fibers and connective tissue. It’s
called “delayed onset muscle soreness” when you wake up
the next morning and find that your body is sore. Soreness
usually disappears within 48 hours.

As your body repairs the damage, it will make the sore
muscles stronger than they were before. It’s like your body
says, “Mary really worked me. It was hard. I guess when I
repair this muscle, I’d better make it stronger just in case
I’m asked to lift that much weight again.” And that is exactly
what it does! You don’t have to do anythingyour body
knows how to make itself stronger without you even thinking
about it. Except maybe to complain about how sore you are.
And the best news is that you won’t be that sore againthe
most intense soreness occurs only after the first time you
stress those particular muscles. I want to emphasize this.
Sometimes weight lifters are so sore the first time they work
out that they are afraid to work out again. Usually there is
very little if any soreness after the second workout. I tell
students if they are sore, they should give thanks that they
are getting stronger because that’s what soreness means.

How many repetitions of each exercise should I
do?
My workout uses the protocol recommended by the
researchers at Tufts University which states that you do
eight repetitions of each exercise, using a weight heavy
enough so that you can barely do the eight repetitions on the
second set. When you can easily do two sets of eight reps,
it’s time to move up to the next heavier weight.
Most people that weight train for muscular tone and strength
achieve less than 50 percent of the results that could be
achieved because the muscles are not sufficiently
challenged. You should use a weight that makes the last
few reps of each set very difficult to perform while
maintaining good technique.

Many of those in my classes refuse to move up to heavier
weights. Some of them have valid reasons. For instance
their doctor might have told them not to lift more than three
pounds because of heart trouble. But the majority are simply
afraid to do anything that is difficult. If your doctor has given
you permission to lift weights, I recommend that you use the
rule which states that when you can easily do two sets of
eight repetitions of an exercise, you should move up to the
next size of dumbbell the next time you work out. Go ahead.
Take the risk! I promise you’ll like the results.
If you choose not to move up to heavier weights as you are
able, you will experience no increases in strength; your
strength will remain the same.

How long should each repetition take?
The longer you keep muscles under tension, the more
muscle strength you gain. The Tufts University protocol
states that each repetition should take six seconds. They
recommend that you take two seconds to raise the weight
and four seconds to lower it. The lifting phase is called
“concentric” and the lowering phase of an exercise is called
“eccentric.” It is during the eccentric phase that your
muscles become stronger even though this may seem to
be the easier portion of an exercise.

Either at the gym or on TV you have probably seen men and
women zipping through exercises quickly. They would
receive more benefit if they worked slowly, especially on the
eccentric (lowering) phase. I believe that my strength
training workout is so effective because we stress the
eccentric phase of each exercise.

You do not need to rest between sets of
exercises.
A set is repetitions done without stopping, for instance, a set
of eight overhead presses. You do not need to rest between
setsjust move from an upper body exercise to a lower
body exercise. For instance, in my workout you start out by
doing squats, a lower body exercise. Then you do overhead
presses for the upper body. This way, your upper body
recovers while you work the lower body. You will burn more
fat by exercising this way than if you rest between sets.

Don’t forget to breathe.
During weight lifting exercises, you should exhale upon
exertion (called the “concentric” phase) and inhale during
the release (”eccentric” phase).

I suggest that you learn to exhale forcefully with your mouth
open on the concentric portion of each exercise. In other
words, blow out like you are blowing out the candles on a
birthday cake. For instance, exhale on the lifting portion of an
overhead press and inhale on the lowering portion. You can
inhale with your mouth closed if you prefer.
This method of breathing helps keep your blood pressure
from increasing as you lift weights. New exercisers
frequently tell me that this seems backward to them. They
want to inhale on the lift and exhale on the lowering phase.
But it’s worth it to take time to learn to breathe correctly and
will soon become second nature.

Don’t lock your knees.
While doing standing exercises, be sure to keep your knees
soft (slightly bent). Straightening your legs completely so
your knees are locked in the straight position is hard on your
knees, but the biggest danger is that your lower back can be
affected. Your back does not like to be arched and that is
what can happen when you lock your knees.
When you move up to a heavier weight, sometimes it makes
the weight easier to lift by locking your knees and arching
your back so you are leaning back. Be careful not to do this.

Be careful of your lower backtighten your tummy.
Almost every exercise involves the lower back, so you need
to be very careful while strength training that your lower back
is not arched. Always tighten your abdominal muscles and
slightly bend your knees before any standing exercise. If you
put your hand over your navel and then pull it in and away
from your hand, this will help prevent arching your back.
That’s why I always say before each exercise, “Knee(s)
should be soft, tummy tight.” When you bend your knees
slightly and pull your abs in, you’ll find that your back is
properly aligned. For some people it’s easier to tuck their
pelvis undercalled a pelvic tiltwhich accomplishes the
same thing.

Be sure to stretch after working out.
Always stretch after doing resistance training while muscles
are still warm. Your body needs it. Regular stretching can
help improve range of motion in your joints which in turn will
help you maintain proper body mechanics. This means that
you’ll be able to do your daily activities with less difficulty. It
helps with sports such as tennis and golf plus exercise
such as walking and hiking.

Don’t use momentum as you lift.
If you jerk or swing the weight to enable you to lift a heavier
weight, you’re not building muscle; you are risking an injury.
Sometimes when exercisers move up to a heavier weight, it
makes the exercise easier if you use momentum by
swinging the weight. Try to keep your body correctly lined up,
particularly your lower back, when you move up in
weight.

The weight workout I recommend for older bodies is
described in my book, “Over 40 & Gettin’ Stronger.” You can
order the book at www.StrongOver40.com or at Amazon.com

See your doctor before beginning an exercise program.
If any exercise causes pain, stop immediately. Modify the
exercise so it does not cause pain or find another exercise
to work the same body part. Any exercise program carries
risks of injury. Phyllis Rogers and/or Senior Fitness, Inc. are
not responsible for any injuries incurred during or after
doing the exercises described in this article.

Phyllis Rogers is a Certified Fitness Trainer and Specialist
in Fitness for Older Adults. She is author of “Over 40 &
Gettin’ Stronger” which contains an easy to learn strength
workout which uses only dumbbells and can be done at
home. Her book can be ordered at http://www.StrongOver40.com
or at Amazon.com. She has taught more than 1200 strength
classes for older adults She can be reached at
fitness9@mindspring.com and is available for speeches
and workshops.