Fighting Sarcopenia with Targeted Resistance Exercises

Did you know that muscle wastage in your later years can not only be stopped but can actually be reversed? The fancy word for muscle wastage is sarcopenia and did you know it can fought by using targeted resistance exercises you could secure your mobility in your senior years? Fighting sarcopenia is not easy and you are going to have to be prepared to spend time doing the exercises and most of the exercises can be hard and painful.

Nothing Without Effort

There I’ve said it! There is no way to sugar coat the fact that many of the prescribed exercises are painful to execute. Many are also flat out boring.

Social media hosts thousands of video clips on exercising as an older person with the aim of fighting sarcopenia with targeted resistance exercises. Everyone seems to think that they alone are privy to the best way to strengthen leg muscles, how best to stretch, how to run and so on. Not one will tell you how painful it is to do 30 push ups or 50 air squats.

But here’s the thing. Sarcopenia is not going to be beaten without resistance training and, at least in the beginning, resistance training is tough.

The good news is that resistance exercising becomes easy the longer it is part of your life. This is despite the requirement to make each exercise more difficult as time passes. You just have to knuckle down and do them. And remember this; if you’ve spent the last 15 years living a rather sedentary lifestyle, its going to take some time before you notice the results of your exercising in terms of differences in physique . You’ll not notice changes in six weeks but you should do so in six months.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER. It is vital – vital – specially for anyone over fifty contemplating embarking on an exercise regimen to get themselves checked over by a medical practitioner who is aware that you plan undertake resistance training. This action cannot be over emphasised particularly if you’ve lived much of your life sedentarily.

Type in ‘Sarcopenia exercises’ into any search engine and find a myriad of suggested exercises. Some you’ll need specialist equipment and others you can do at home

In the following posts will be suggesting home exercises for which no special equipment is required, although, as time passes, and you start requiring heavier weights to progress, it might be worth purchasing some dumbbells and kettle bells or installing a bar for pull ups.

The Wall Sit

As a starter, we present the Wall Sit (or Wall Squat) It is a strength training exercise that targets the muscles in your legs particularly the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves.

Do it like this

• Slowly slide your back down the wall until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Note: This is the ultimate position you will attain after you’ve had some practice. Until that time, its quite OK to let your thighs make an angle to the wall less than 90 degrees.

• Keep your knees bent at a 90 degree angle and your feet flat on the floor.

• Hold this position for 30 seconds to start with and gradually increase the time as you build strength and endurance.

• Keep your back against the wall and your shoulders relaxed

• Push through your heels to return to standing

Remember to breathe naturally and avoid letting your knees extend past your toes.

We relied for most of the above on information from HT Physio in Farnham, UK

Read about our Neolife nutritional supplements here