8 strategies to help maintain strength as you age
First, the bad news: Adults start to lose muscle mass after age 30. The good news: You have the power to slow this natural decline and perhaps even reverse it. The solution is to lift weights.
Invest in a trainer
A licensed and credentialed trainer can design a personalized program and teach you proper form and technique. Get referrals from local gyms, and many trainers now offer virtual workouts. After you learn the basics, you can work out on your own.
Get free
Training with free weights, like dumbbells, kettlebells and barbells, is often better for muscle building than machines, Shawn Pedicini, a physical therapist at Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, says. “However, machines are ideal if you have balancing issues or other limitations that make it safer to sit during weight training,” he says. You can also go back and forth between free weights and machines depending on the type of exercise and which muscles you are working on.
Give it a rest
Always allow at least 48 hours between sessions for muscle recovery. Some people prefer to break their workouts into two parts: upper body and lower body. In that case, you can perform upper-body exercises one day and lower-body the next.
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