What is the right way to exercise in the elderly?

There is no age limit to a healthy lifestyle. You can work out and keep yourself in shape as young as 15 or as old as 55. Of course, the fitness routine will change over the years, but this is no reason to give up sports altogether. World Class trainer Aleksander Karpov tells us what exercises and types of activity are suitable for elderly zoogeeks and what risks should be taken into account.

What are the peculiarities of fitness for people of age?

Classes differ, of course, realized goals. Training is aimed more at preserving, improving and maintaining health. In old age, people’s muscles atrophy and then recover from injuries very poorly.

To avoid these problems, you should do strength training when you are young to build up a stock of myoyaders (muscle memory) that will be sufficient to maintain muscle mass in old age. It also helps to train the cardiovascular system, improve mobility in the joints, and strengthen the immune system.

What can be the dangers of working out as I age?

The main difficulties for older people are possible health restrictions. It is important to competently compose the training process, taking into account the experience of exercise in the past and the current state.

Incorrect execution, incorrect starting position, lack of warm-up, incorrectly selected load can cause negative consequences at any age. But, as mentioned above, the older the body, the slower healing and recovery occur. Therefore, elderly zoogeeks should exclude exercises with serious weights and load on the joints.

Is cardio exercise good for the elderly?

Cardio exercises are useful for everyone without exception, if properly dosed and consistent with training goals. In the elderly, cardio is necessary primarily for training the cardiovascular system, and the increase in overall endurance and performance will be pleasant side effects.

There are several varieties of group workouts, both universal (for all ages and genders) and specifically designed for seniors. For example, now you can see quite a few age athletes walking in parks with ski poles – this kind of fitness is called “Nordic walking”.

What exercises are suitable?

The choice of exercises depends largely on your current state of health. Although the list below cannot be called complex, it may not be suitable for everyone.

Kükid
Lähtepositsioon: standing, feet at hip width or shoulder width, back straight, hands in front of you.
Leaning on the center of the arch of the foot, bend the legs at the knees, keeping the back straight. Lower to a half squat and return to the starting position.

Tõuked seinalt
Lähtepositsioon: standing in front of the wall, hands at shoulder level on the wall slightly wider than your shoulders.
Keeping the torso in the starting position, bend the arms in the elbow joints under control and approach facing the wall. Then straighten your arms and return to the starting position.

Standing torso tilts
Lähtepositsioon: feet are hip-width apart, hands behind the head.
Keeping the position of the body (spine straight), lean forward, slightly bending your legs at the knees. Then return to the starting position using your legs.