strength supports healthy aging: how functional fitness makes a difference
the good news is you can still build strength as a 70-year-old and enjoy your vitality.
5 minute read
senior fitness expert karl knopf stresses that the concept of “use it or lose it” definitely applies to seniors to avoid the accelerated loss of muscle mass that happens without continued use.
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karl knopf, a seniors’ fitness expert and consultant in santa cruz, california, has dedicated his career to helping people be active and healthy. he wants everyone to be able to do things they want to do, whether they’re age 60 or 85—within reason.
“we see morning talk shows where they’re featuring an 80-year-old person who runs marathons,” he says. “most of us are not running a marathon at 80, so you’ve got to listen to your body and avoid overdoing things.” but he’s all for people working toward physical goals with gentle and effective routines like those he outlines in his new book the strength training bible for seniors. (don’t let the title intimidate you, because strength training doesn’t have to be deadlifting at the gym or a grueling bootcamp class online.)
one frail older woman he worked with was determined to walk in the airport instead of being pushed in a wheelchair. she wanted to see her son graduate from college on the east coast.
“i need to get strong enough to walk through the airport,” she told karl. “if i can’t do that, i’m not going to go.”
karl has a doctorate degree in exercise physiology and decades of practical experience in rehabilitating disabled veterans and wellness for seniors. he understands the science of body mechanics and how to get strong.
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“we started with just basically having her seated and extending her leg out straight with no weight,” he explains of the technique. he added a light magazine on her legs, lifting one leg at a time. then he moved to a book the weight of tolstoy’s “war and peace.”
strength training keeps you mobile and capable
“she got strong enough by just doing these weight exercises so that she could go to the airport and walk it. she did it,” he says of the slow and steady training that got her on her feet.
people are capable as they age, but they have to be careful and train smart. a big part of aging well is functional fitness, he says. the concept has been controversial over the years but is becoming mainstream and is likely a phrase used by most personal trainers today.
“people think that if i go out and golf once a week, that’s all the exercise i need,” but that’s not the case, he says. “aerobic exercise is great, but you need some component of flexibility, strength training and balance. if you get stronger, your balance is going to improve. you’re going to be able to walk and do activities of daily living because you’ve built strength.”
functional fitness is training to be able to take out the garbage, reach things from your shelves and enjoy walking with friends and family.
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karl is 72, a former “super-surfer” in the local beach culture and a triathlon competitor in his 30s (just for fun). now he still follows triathlon-style training by walking every day, usually with his dog (an exercise machine!), swimming if the weather’s warm, and strength training with dumbbells and exercise bands. he’d like to work more on his flexibility with stretching. taking care of your body is a journey.
kale salad is not for everybody: adopt health strategies you enjoy
“people gravitate toward things they enjoy,” he says, of the importance of making regular physical activity enjoyable so you’ll stick with it.
“it’s like kale salad. i never want to taste it again, maybe if i could put blue cheese on it, but it’s not something i like,” he laughs.
a lot of his messaging is rooted in science. he talks about finding what works for you to keep you moving and using your muscles. there’s growing research on being social for better brain and cardiovascular health, so joining a group exercise class adds social connection to strength training and movement.
a study on regular group exercise for seniors, published in bmc geriatrics, revealed compelling benefits: “participants achieved balanced health in the physical, mental, and social domains through regular group exercise as part of a community-wide physical activity intervention and contributed to expanding communities through social connectedness and mutual support.”
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‘use it or lose it’ is part of the message
karl also stresses that the concept of “use it or lose it” definitely applies to seniors to avoid the accelerated loss of muscle mass that happens without continued use. muscle mass and strength peak in your mid-30s. “after age 60, muscle mass diminishes quite quickly and by the time you turn 75, you have lost half of your muscle mass and strength that you had in your 20s.”
why is that a problem? he points out that muscle protects your bones and joints, revs your metabolism and helps you recover faster from injury and surgery. it’s critical for aging well.
“i’d go to senior centres and they’d always complain, ‘my house is getting too big for me, my yard is getting too big.’ well, the issue wasn’t that their house was getting bigger, but they were losing 25 to 50 per cent of the strength and vigour they had when they bought the house 30 years ago.”
now the medical community is substantiating the need for exercise and strength for seniors, which is a change from karl’s early career days. he explains the outdated thinking that older people were too frail or arthritic to do strength training, so spending time in a recliner was expected, if not ideal.
and in the 1960s, coaches didn’t want their athletes lifting weights because they thought they’d get muscle-bound and lose their performance skills. the image of bodybuilders like arnold schwarzenegger and lou ferrigno swayed public opinion that “if i start lifting weights, i’m going to get this ugly physique and it wasn’t functional,” karl says. but strength training is about training smart, not hard, and always with the ok of your doctor or primary care provider, he adds.
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he’d like to see change in the fitness industry overall, like making gyms and other facilities more welcoming for older adults. that could look like certain timeframes for older adults only to work out in these spaces so they’d feel more comfortable and at ease, and specialty instructions or group classes for seniors.
“when i taught water exercises at the y (ymca) through college, many older women didn’t want to come to the pool because they didn’t have a 20-year-old body,” he says of the stigma associated with aging. “i’ve exercised all my life, but i’m not really happy about going to the gym because there are guys who’ve got 20-inch arms.”
teaching geriatric fitness should require specialty certification
as well, karl would like to see more extensive qualification programs for personal training and geriatric fitness in undergraduate studies as well. “i’m very concerned that someone can call themselves a personal trainer after taking a weekend workshop.”
the good news is you can still build strength as a 70-year-old and enjoy your vitality. and as education grows, more trainers will recognize the best way to do it is not exercising like a 20-year-old but developing a safe and effective routine that meets you right where you are.
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