{"id":534610,"date":"2026-03-13T22:21:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T22:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/534610\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T22:21:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T22:21:09","slug":"the-no-1-type-of-workout-you-should-never-skip-to-stay-healthy-as-you-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/534610\/","title":{"rendered":"The No. 1 Type of Workout You Should Never Skip to Stay Healthy as You Age"},"content":{"rendered":"

TODAY\u2019s Never Have I Ever<\/a> series offers guidance about procedures and practices our trusted health experts would never participate in. Discover why they should be avoided and which healthy practices you should turn to instead.<\/p>\n

With age comes wisdom, self-confidence and so much more, but you can also expect physical changes, specifically a decrease in strength. <\/p>\n

Muscle mass tends to reach its peak capacity when we\u2019re between 30 and 35, according to the National Institute on Aging.<\/a> By the time you\u2019re 70 or older, 30% of adults will have trouble walking and standing up, research<\/a> has found. These mobility struggles are linked to higher fall rates, nursing home admission, mortality and chronic illness.<\/p>\n

Although you can\u2019t stop age-related muscle mass and strength depletion altogether, you can slow it down with strength training, says Cedric X. Bryant<\/a>, Ph.D., chief executive officer at the American Council on Exercise. <\/p>\n

Strength training, also called resistance training, challenges the muscles to work against an external force or load. \u201cThat force can come from free weights, machines, resistance bands, body weight or even gravity,\u201d explains Bryant. Progressively challenging the muscle, he adds, will boost endurance, power and overall body function.<\/p>\n

The good news is it\u2019s never too late to start.<\/p>\n

Never Have I Ever: Skipped Strength Training While Aging<\/p>\n

\u201cI would never skip strength training as I age because muscle is one of the strongest predictors of longevity, independence and metabolic health,\u201d Bryant tells TODAY.com. “It directly counters the biological loss of muscle and bone<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

\u201cMaintaining adequate levels of strength supports everything from climbing stairs and carrying groceries to preventing falls and staying metabolically healthy. It\u2019s essential to aging well<\/a>,\u201d he adds. <\/p>\n

While you may think of frailty and injury in older age as a reason to avoid strength training, it\u2019s the very thing that will protect the body from getting weaker over time.<\/p>\n

What to Do Instead<\/p>\n

Even if you don\u2019t have a history of hitting the gym, you can still reap the benefits. \u201cResearch consistently shows that adults in their 70s, 80s and even 90s can gain strength and muscle when they begin resistance training,\u201d says Bryant. \u201cThe human body remains remarkably adaptable.\u201d <\/p>\n

Make strength training<\/a> part of your weekly routine along with aerobic activity<\/a>, he says. If you\u2019re unsure about how or where to start, enlist a certified physical trainer who can offer \u201cproper instruction to ensure good technique,\u201d says Bryant. <\/p>\n

Ease into this kind of training with bodyweight exercises<\/a> and resistance bands<\/a>. Then, slowly increase the challenge over time with a process called progressive overload<\/a> by adding weights. \u201cPay close attention to controlled movement, proper breathing, and adequate recovery between sessions,\u201d he adds. <\/p>\n

Consistency rather than intensity is key, Bryant says. \u201cStart simple. Two to three sessions per week, focusing on major muscle groups \u2014 legs, hips, back, chest, shoulders and arms.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIndividuals with medical conditions should consult a health care professional before beginning, but for most people, strength training is safe when introduced thoughtfully,\u201d says Bryant. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TODAY\u2019s Never Have I Ever series offers guidance about procedures and practices our trusted health experts would never…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":289665,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[49,48,407,84],"class_list":["post-534610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-fitness","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=534610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534610\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/289665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=534610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=534610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=534610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}