You shouldn’t think that you are too old for weight lifting. With the help of these exercises you will have a great opportunity to stay and look younger. Weight lifting is very beneficial for both men and women that want to stay in a good shape and look younger. It is possible to lift weights in every age.
In 1982, Dr.Walter Bortz has written in The Journal of the American Medical Association that as people get older they undergo certain physical changes. Here belong loss of muscle tone, organ deterioration and osteoporosis. These processes can be caused by inactivity or by age. He suggests that training can prevent diseases associated with aging. Most changes attributed to aging are in fact caused by inactivity and that’s why they should be corrected.  As people get old they lose the density of bones and muscle mass. They get stiff and their joints creak. People don’t train their boy and due to this the synovial fluid dries up, the tendons become brittle, the sinews grow weak. Such people notice that it hurts for them to move.
More recently Dr Henry Lodge and Chris Cowley published a new book which enlightened this problem, the title of the book: "Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living Like 50 Until You're 80 and Beyond". The book has revealed that weight lifting can make bones of the aged people dense and help them gain muscle mass. The authors proposed to use heavy weights instead of light weights. In July 1983, Terry Todd wrote in Sports Illustrated that if a person over 40 spent a lot of time in gym in so called "Iron Game” he or she would have a great physique and look younger. Heavy training stresses your body regularly and due to this it can have the ability to resist the visual manifestations of advancing age. It has been proved that middle aged men and women involved in resistance training become stronger, more flexible, increase the endurance and lose excess fat. In 2003, the Centers for Disease Control reported that strength training could prevent many diseases and chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity, back pain and depression. Strength training is also useful for improving flexibility and balance and lowers the likelihood and severity of falls. The research held in New Zealand has proved that in women aged 80 and older the risk of falls has reduced by 40% due to simple strength and balance training. It is not necessary to perform heavy weight training in order to achieve great results. The American College of Sports Medicine strength training guidelines recommends you do resistance workout two days per week including 8-10 exercises and performing 8-12 repetitions every day. You should begin training with weight which you can lift and do at least 8 reps (the weight can be even 2-5 pounds). You should rest between the repetitions and each exercise. If it is hard for you to do 8 reps during the first tries try to do as much as you can. Very soon you will be able to add more weight. The main purpose of the training should be muscle toning and improving joint movements. You shouldn’t try to become a bodybuilder. You can train with heavier weights but it is crucial to stick to the program and avoid injuries. You can lift weights 2-3 times per week. You shouldn’t buy expensive equipment for your workout. All exercises require the use of cheap dumbbells and weights which can be found in every sporting goods store. It is important to consult the doctor if you have any disease, injury or physical disability before starting the program. You should follow all the recommendations of the specialist. You need to start your weight lifting program with light weights. After a few weeks you will be able to look much better, improve your physique and prevent diseases.
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