Weight training for 84 year old woman

[andyP]

If she does nothing but deadlifts, she'll be doing good. Just have her do those for a couple of months and see how she progresses. Go from there.

Thanks for your answer. I started reading the "The Barbell Prescription" book. It also advises that weighted squats could be difficult to do for the elderly because of poor shoulder mobility and in this case to focus on the deadlift instead and use bodyweight squats as support exercise. After searching a bit on the web I also found this article 78-Year-Old Grandmother Who Deadlift 245 Pounds, which I sent to my mother :-). Found similar articles/videos of other elderly women deadlifting impressive weight so yes it seems like that managing heavy deadlifts is something many elderly can do with some training.

[andyP]

Thank you for your question.
One day I had slightly aching knees and my personal trainer (which seems really knowledgeable) told me to squat with about 25% less weight than usually but go really slow. He said that this approach was sometimes used in rehabilitation by physical therapists. From personal experience I know that going really slow feels a lot heavier than going fast. I also found this article (which is backed by a scientific paper): Tip: Lift This Way, Build Muscle 3 Times Faster

One thing I forgot to mention was this article I found You're Never Too Old to Start Weight Training According to Dr Mercola: "By slowing your movements down, it turns your weight-training session into high-intensity exercise. The super-slow movement allows your muscle, at the microscopic level, to access the maximum number of cross-bridges between the protein filaments that produce movement in the muscle.

This is a beneficial and safe way to incorporate high-intensity exercise into your workouts if you're older and have trouble getting around. You only need about 12 to 15 minutes of super-slow strength training once a week to achieve the same human growth hormone (HGH) production as you would from 20 minutes of Peak Fitness sprints, which is why fitness experts like Dr. Doug McGuff are such avid proponents of this technique."

[Mark E. Hurling]

OK wait.

You said you ORDERED the book. So you got it TODAY? Or did you BUY it somewhere off the shelf?

Because the order/shipping/read timeline seems a little truncated.

As an aside, if you like stuff from McGuff, why check in here for validation (or whatever) of his own theories when they are nearly diametrically opposed to SS?

Strikes me as odd.

[andyP]

OK wait.

You said you ORDERED the book. So you got it TODAY? Or did you BUY it somewhere off the shelf?

Because the order/shipping/read timeline seems a little truncated.

As an aside, if you like stuff from McGuff, why check in here for validation (or whatever) of his own theories when they are nearly diametrically opposed to SS?

Strikes me as odd.

Kindle. I am not looking for validation. I want to find the truth by reasoning and arguing. I do not know of this McGuff. I have read a few articles by Mercola. Not sure what to make of him. Somethings seems reasonable, but sometimes I get a quack/snake oil feeling about him.

[IlPrincipeBrutto]

Hi,

I want to get her started with weight training.

apologies for asking a stupid question: does she agree?
I think it's beyond commendable that you want you Mum to start training.
At the same time, I think the very first thing you need is for her to buy into the idea and commit to exercise.
It will also be far easier to swing her physio round the idea of performing 'difficult' exercises if she tells him she wants to do them.

I also think that it will be easier to get her to stick to regular exercise in the first crucial weeks if you have her do something minimal; ChessGuy's suggestion of just starting with deadlifts seems very reasonable to me.

All the very best wishes for you and you Mum.

IPB

[andyP]

Hi,



apologies for asking a stupid question: does she agree?
I think it's beyond commendable that you want you Mum to start training.
At the same time, I think the very first thing you need is for her to buy into the idea and commit to exercise.
It will also be far easier to swing her physio round the idea of performing 'difficult' exercises if she tells him she wants to do them.

I also think that it will be easier to get her to stick to regular exercise in the first crucial weeks if you have her do something minimal; ChessGuy's suggestion of just starting with deadlifts seems very reasonable to me.

All the very best wishes for you and you Mum.

IPB

Thank you for a very important question. She does not seem too interested. Yes I think you are right; starting minimal with deadlift is probably a good idea. Also this way she can hopefully see some progress herself and be more convinced of her ability to regenerate and adapt.

[misterponytail]

Your breathing instruction does not make sense. [SNIP] On a less critical note, I'm dubious about your time under tension theory in any population...

Breathing during movements and time under tension are standard bodybuilding practices where hypertrophy is the primary goal.

[carson]

I'm curious, have you checked the coaching section on this website? You may be closer to a real gym and a real SS coach than you think. In any even since we work with a gentleman who is 91 I think Dr. Sullivan may be able to help you. For that matter all SS coaches are well trained and could be help to you.

[JD Keip]

I agree with carson, please start with a Starting Strength coach, who can at least network with Sully and Baker and others who have actually trained people in your mother's age range. Dr. Mercola has some good things to say, but without details of his protocols, results, and how many advanced-age people he has had success with, we can't evaluate his comparative effectiveness. I'll admit I did not watch his video.

Good coaching will critically assess what we know and what we think we know and be able to tailor it to your mother's actual physical condition -- or as it emphasizes in BBRx, "this is not a cookbook."

For a novice (which she is), hypertrophy is a secondary consideration: she needs to get strong first. I skimmed the Pereira, et al. paper -- did you notice these were "subjects with experience in resistance training" and about 30 years old... and there's nothing about whether they were all male subjects? So the TUT relevance here is tenuous -- it could, logically speaking, be relevant, but I predict soreness rather than significant adaptation.

Good coaching will also be able to select an appropriate starting weight and have a model for proper form... Dr. Mercola's "consult with a personal fitness trainer" is far too vague a recommendation, and I foresee results of either insufficient stress or too much stress to create a strength adaptation. You're trying to convince her physio about the benefits of strength training... but Dr. Sullivan SSC is already many miles down that road. Read up, catch up, then cross-check your understanding here with the SSCs.

If you do anything before that, please don't break her.

[andyP]

Thank you all for your help. Unfortunately the nearest SS coach is a 2h boat trip followed by a 2 h plane trip away and some waiting in between. Doable, but I am not gonna drag her along.
My conclusion so far is this:
Ideally she should train heavy deadlifts, but then she must perform the Valsalva maneuver. I read in the "The Barbell Prescription" that this is safe but I am not willing to bet her life on that. BTW I forgot to mention the important fact that she had an aneurism 3 years ago. Sorry about that.
I think the Starting Strength approach to weight training is the best for almost anyone, maybe except for my mother. It could have worked but then she would have needed continous very high quality coaching.
Actually as much as you will hate to hear this; I think Super-Slow training might work for her. It was designed for elderly women. It is safer since it uses machines. I understand that the quality of Super-Slow training is inferior to heavy barbell training. It is less functional since it uses machines and do no train fast twitch muscles which is what elderly need the most.
Anyway I think I will work with the physio and aim low. First we must find which muscles are very weak and strengthen these. The goal will be to maintain and to a small degree increase strength.