The strength-building training

Health

In recent years, experts have increasingly recognized the importance of building strength – using muscles in explosive bursts – for healthy aging. The force allows you to lift a bag of mulch into the trunk and can stop your arms or legs or catch yourself if you slip. While force helps you sit in a chair, power gets you out.

For people over 65, one of the easiest tools to measure how much strength you have, especially in your legs, is the sit-to-stand test. (Do the sit-stand test in 30 seconds.)

If your score suggests a lack of strength, you should start with these three simple movements, suggested Ali Hartman, a physical therapy doctor from North Carolina. As with strength, building strength means consistently and gradually training your entire body, especially your legs and core. Aim for two to three sets of eight to 10 repetitions, several times a week.

Squat — Using a chair, you will replicate the sit-to-stand test, but with a twist. Your focus this time is on getting up as quickly as possible (strength) and then slowly lowering yourself back to the sitting position (strength).

Hinge — To use the power in your legs, you need to bind it to your core. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Quickly lift your hips up into a glute bridge position (power) and then slowly lower them back to the ground (power).

Push — Although most of your strength comes from the larger leg muscles, your entire body plays a role in its production, including your upper body. From a standing position, place your hands on the wall and move your feet back about a foot, keeping your legs shoulder distance apart. Quickly push away from the wall (force) and slowly lower yourself back down (force).

If your sit-to-stand score is strong and these starting movements feel easy, the next step will require weights, says Dustin Jones, a Kentucky-based physical therapy doctor.

“When you don't have weight, it's easy to just keep training,” he said. But weights force you to use your entire body, especially your legs and hips.

Start with light weights that you can lift over your head; even a can of beans works. If you are consistent with the exercises, make sure to continually increase the weight to keep your body challenged and improving.

Dr. Jones recommended the following four movements two to three times a week. They all build explosive strength throughout the body, especially in the larger leg muscles. It works best if you have a set of dumbbells and a weighted rubber “slam ball.” For each, start with 30 seconds of exercise and 30 seconds of rest. Go through all four exercises three or four times. Extend rest periods if necessary. Make it your goal to increase the number of reps you can do in each segment.

Barbell snatch — Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, hinged at your hips, with a slight bend in your knees. Holding a dumbbell in one hand, centered in front of your knees, explode and extend your hips, knees and ankles in one quick, fluid motion. At the same time, quickly pull the barbell up close to and in front of your body, ending above your head until your arm is straight and your knees are slightly bent. Use one arm during the first cycle and the other during the next.

Dumbbell power clean – Start with your feet hip-width apart, with both dumbbells on the floor outside your feet. Start in a squat position and grab both dumbbells, extend your hips explosively as you pull the dumbbells up along your body and land them gently on your shoulders with your legs slightly bent. Keep your heels on the floor until your hips and legs are fully extended. At that point, they will rise briefly and return them to the ground as you land the weights.

Slamming – Hold a batting ball at floor level in a shoulder-width position and lift the ball above your head with full extension of your knees, hips and ankles. Hit the ball on the ground between your feet, grasp it and immediately repeat the movement.

Squat jumps – Standing with your feet about shoulder-width apart, lower to a full squat position and then quickly explode into a jump, swinging your arms up to assist. Land lightly back in the squat position and repeat.

Once you've mastered all four movements and have been practicing them consistently, add the power skip, which requires some existing strength and balance.

Skip flow – You probably already know how to skip, and this is just a more explosive version of that move. As you lift one leg in the jumping motion, move your supporting foot up and off the floor, then repeat with the other leg in a continuous motion.

If you already practice regular strength training, you can add these movements at the end of it, or alternate days that focus on strength and power. A certified trainer can help with form.

Above all, said Dr. Ronald E. Michalak, a New Hampshire orthopedic surgeon, “it doesn't have to be perfect. But you want to stimulate the force-producing fibers in your muscles, because we lose those as we age.”

Amanda Loudin is a freelance health and science writer.