McTeer Fitness Training & Tennis Coaching, Austin, Texas

I’ve been certified as an older adult trainer and this was our text book.

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) is a great resource for fitness information.  The following article appeared in ACE FitnessMatters, ACE’s official magazine.  Source: Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences, 2002; 57, B138-B143

Just one workout a week is all it takes for older adults to maintain their strength and, possibly, their independence, according to a new study from researchers at the Human Performance Laboratory at Ball State University, Muncie, Ind.

Ten sedentary 70-year-old men were recruited to take part in a 12-week strength-training program.

After training 3 times per week, the men had  increased their muscle size and strength by 50%.

At the end of the program, half the men went back to their sedentary ways, while the other half did the same routine, but only once per week.

After six months, the sedentary men had lost much of their muscle size and strength, but the once-a-week exercisers were still going strong.

Sarcopenia, or loss of muscle size and strength, is a major cause of the falls and injuries among older adults that result in a loss of independent living.

”One day per week seems to be effective,” writes Scott Trappe, Ph.D., in the April issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences.  ‘Older adults could engage in a low-volume, high-intensity resistance-training program and maintain independence and reduce chances for falls and injuries.”

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I’ve been certified as an older adult trainer and this was our text book.

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) is a great resource for fitness information.  The following article appeared in ACE FitnessMatters, ACE’s official magazine.  Source: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2002; 34, 17-23

A study of 62 healthy men and women between 60 and 83 revealed that six months of resistance training increased bone density in the hip area.

By the end of the study, subjects were generating more bone than they were losing, which could help deter the development of osteoporosis.

Those who engaged in high-intensity exercise (using greater resistance) demonstrated the most improvement, and the leg press, overhead press and some back exercises appeared to have the most impact on increasing bone density.

www.ybyl.com … scott@ybyl.com … scott mcteer, mf2u

I’ve been certified as an Older Adult Trainer and this was our text book. 

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) is a great resource for fitness information.  The following article appeared in ACE FitnessMatters, ACE’s official magazine.  Source: The New England Journal of Medicine, 2002; 346, 793-801, 852-854

Being sedentary and out of shape may have a more detrimental effect on one’s health than other well-known risk factors such as smoking, hypertension and heart disease, according to a recent study.

Researchers from Stanford University Medical Center and the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System studied 6,000+ men for an average of 6 years. The average age of participants was 59.

More than half had experienced an abnormal exercise-test result and/or had a history of cardiovascular disease; nearly one-third had suffered a heart attack, and many had risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and a history of smoking.

The remaining men were apparently healthy without a history of cardiovascular disease.

During the study period, more than 1,200 patients died, most of whom were older. After adjusting for age, however, researchers concluded that exercise capacity was a more powerful predictor of mortality than any other risk factor.

As exercise capacity improved, patients experienced corresponding improvements in survival rates.

In a corresponding editorial, Dr. Gary J. Balady of Boston Medical Center compares these new findings with Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest. Balady urges physicians to go beyond identifying risk factors and to encourage and prescribe increased physical activity as an essential step in reducing one’s risk of death.

www.ybyl.com … scott@ybyl.com … scott mcteer, mf2u