Strength training delays aging

Strength training can indeed delay aging in multiple dimensions from the cellular level, physiological function level, and external state level. It has been confirmed by hundreds of scientific studies around the world and verified by tens of millions of fitness practitioners. It is one of the anti-aging methods with the lowest cost and minimal side effects.

To tell a true story from my life, the 62-year-old Aunt Zhang in the community had to take two breaks when climbing the third floor in the past two years. Her knees hurt so much that she dared not even dance in the square. When she went to the hospital, the doctor said that her muscle mass was 12% less than her peers and her bone density had just reached the passing line. She was told not only to supplement calcium but also to do strength training. At first, the whole family was opposed to it, thinking that lifting weights at such a young age was not asking for trouble. It turned out that she had been practicing in public fitness classes in the community for two years, practicing simple movements such as squats, seated shoulder presses, and rowing with elastic bands. Last week I saw her climbing the fifth floor carrying 20 kilograms of rice and noodles. Her face was not red and she was not out of breath. Last year, her bone density was higher than that of many 40-year-old middle-aged people.

Why has the change been so drastic? In fact, people have too deep misunderstandings about aging. They always think that wrinkles and gray hair mean that they are old. In fact, the core sign of human aging is "the inability to move." If you don't specifically stimulate your muscles after the age of 30, you will lose 0.5%-1% of your skeletal muscles every year. After the age of 60, this loss rate will triple. This is what is called sarcopenia in medicine. Many people think that knee pain, inability to climb stairs, and fractures when they fall are all due to bad bones. In fact, 80% of the reason is that the muscles are gone.

I used to be biased against strength training. I thought it was for young guys to build muscle mass. I ran 5 kilometers three times a week and passed all physical tests. Why should I do this? It wasn't until last year after my recovery that I squatted down to pick up the cat litter box that fell on the ground. I couldn't stand up for a long time, and even swayed my waist. I went to see a rehabilitation therapist for a body composition test. In two years, I lost almost 4 kilograms of muscle mass, all due to lying down and only doing aerobics after my recovery, which forced me to start increasing strength training.

Don’t think that muscles are just for showing off lines. In 2022, the American College of Sports Medicine released a 10-year follow-up study. People who insist on regular strength training for a long time have peripheral blood leukocyte telomere lengths that are 9% longer than those of sedentary people and 3% longer than those of people who only do aerobics. You must have heard of telomeres, right? It is the "protective cap" at the end of the chromosome. The longer the length, the slower the aging rate of the cells. This 9% may not seem like much, but it is equivalent to being 4-5 years younger when converted to biological age. This is much more useful than tens of thousands of anti-aging essences you apply. After all, the essence can only control the face, but the muscles can control the metabolism of your whole body.

Of course, some people do not agree with this conclusion. There are indeed two factions arguing in the sports circle. One faction believes that aerobic exercise is the key to health, and strength training can easily damage joints. The other faction believes that strength training is the ceiling for anti-aging. Doing too much aerobic exercise will cause muscle loss. In fact, there is no need to argue. A combination of aerobic training for cardiorespiratory endurance and strength training for muscle and bone density will definitely have the best effect. However, if your core need is anti-aging, then the priority of strength training must be higher - after all, muscles are the largest glucose metabolism organs in the human body. An extra kilogram of muscle you accumulate is equivalent to an additional "mobile energy consumer", and the risk of diabetes and hyperlipidemia will be greatly reduced as you get older.

Speaking of hurting your joints, this is probably the biggest misunderstanding about strength training. Many elders shook their heads like a rattle when they heard that they were going to lift iron: What should I do if my bones are broken and my waist is flashing? This concern is really normal, but you have to understand that injuries are never the fault of strength training, but the fault of wrong movements + blindly loading the weight. The Department of Sports Rehabilitation of Beijing Sport University conducted a one-year follow-up experiment last year. They found 120 healthy elderly people aged 60-70 and practiced light weight strength training twice a week. The tools were mineral water bottles, elastic bands, and people watching the movement standards. After a year, no one suffered serious injuries. On the contrary, the risk of falling fell by 47%, and the bone density increased by an average of 2.3%. The effect is much better than simply taking calcium tablets. Of course, if you have severe lumbar disc herniation, uncontrolled high blood pressure or heart problems, you must first ask your doctor and rehabilitation therapist for advice. You cannot practice blindly. This is the bottom line.

Oh, by the way, there are a lot of little girls complaining to me, I don’t want to train for strength, how ugly would it be to have muscles? Haha, I really worry too much. The testosterone level of women is only one-twentieth of men. If you want to build big muscles, it is as difficult as taking the Qingbei exam. The most you need is to tighten the loose muscles and sagging hip lines. My best friend has been practicing strength training for half a year, and she has not lost a pound of weight. Her waist circumference is 5 centimeters smaller. Her old jeans have fallen down, and she looks more energetic. Isn’t this better than the sallow muscles lost by dieting?

There’s really no need to think about strength training being too complicated. I’ve seen many people make plans at the beginning, such as chest training on Monday, back training on Tuesday, and shoulder training on Wednesday. It’s just like completing KPIs at work, and they give up after two weeks of training. Why do ordinary people need to go to such trouble? 2-3 times a week, 40 minutes each time is enough. Practice compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, chest presses, and rowing. If you don’t have dumbbells at home, use a mineral water bottle filled with water. If you don’t have a barbell, use elastic bands. You can even squat with your own weight. Movement standards are 10,000 times more important than weight. My mother now practices shoulder pressing with two 1-liter bottles of Nongfu Spring at home every day. After practicing for three months, the frozen shoulder that has been bothering her for five or six years is much better. It used to hurt when she raised her arms to dry herself under the quilt, but now she can change the bottled water by herself.

I used to think that anti-aging was a very mysterious thing. If I wanted to take this antioxidant, I would have to apply that lady’s essence. It wasn’t until I practiced strength for more than half a year. Last week I went to climb Xiangshan Mountain with my friends. I climbed faster than the post-95 girls who were traveling with me, and my legs didn’t feel sore when I got down. Before, I would have been in so much pain the next day that I couldn’t walk downstairs. Only then did I realize that the most reliable anti-aging weapon is actually on your own body. Every time you practice more squats and push more weights, you are saving an "anti-aging reserve" for your body. When others get breathless after walking two steps and have to use a wheelchair even when going to the supermarket, you can still carry a bag to climb Mount Huangshan and carry 20 kilograms of vegetables home from the vegetable market. This state of full strength is truly young.