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The point of this topic cannot be stressed enough. Strength training has amazing benefits not only for body composition (amount of fat and muscle you have) and athletic performance, but it's also great for the joints, bones, immune system, cardiovascular system, and pretty much every system in the body. It's also amazing for the brain, energy levels, and sex drive. Before I lifted, I had major problems with depression and being able to focus. Lifting, as a sport (bodybuilding and power lifting), also has the lowest rate of injury of pretty much any other sport. Everyone, minus children and the very elderly, should be lifting in at least some capacity.
I recommend the Starting Strength program to anyone who hasn't lifted before (and even many who have), and having a competent coach or trainer show you how to do all the lifts, if you don't know how already. The 5x5 program also works.
I remember struggling for years with being fat, and how no amount of cardio and dieting could give me the body I wanted. Dieting obviously is effective to reducing bodyfat, but without resistance training, much of the weight loss will be muscle. Without some muscle mass, you'll look fat even at 15% bodyfat (for men - women have higher bodyfat %). Conversely, if you have been strength training for a while and have significant lean body mass, you'll look ripped and amazing at 15% bodyfat.
A few years ago a colleague asked me why I was still going to the gym when I had lost the weight I wanted to lose. People just do.not.get.it.
Its because people equate losing weight with exercise and not with diet. You can run a two marathons and probably burn just a little over a pound of fat.
Its because people equate losing weight with exercise and not with diet. You can run a two marathons and probably burn just a little over a pound of fat.
People are mistaken. Weight loss is 90% diet and 10% exercise.
The point is skinny people need to workout/strength train as well. Everybody does.
I haven't read all the posts but I really believe as we get older, that's when we definitely need to do weight training. A lot of everyday activities/errands require some strength. Mowing the lawn, washing the car, vacuuming, grocery shopping all involves some muscle. We take for granted in our youth how easy it is to do these things. When we become old and sedentary we realize how difficult life can become if we don't invest in our bodies.
That's when you find them dead in the driveway with a snow shovel in their hands, or lying on the stairs beside a spilled bag of groceries.
I would suggest that if your weight training is light enough to permit you to do it every day--especially as a 64-year-old woman--that it's indeed a lot more "cardio" than "weight training."
Serious weight training would mandate a recuperation periods that would be days long between working a muscle for a 64-year-old woman.
As I said in my post, my weight training is 4 days per week. I rest at least one or two days between training. I am happy with my workouts, I am stronger than most women half my age, and in great health. I have even healed from my shoulder injuries and lifelong problem with sciatica. I have scoliosis among other skeletal problems so no way am I going to be doing any super "heavy lifting." It just isn't necessary for gains.
If I lived in and traveled afoot around hilly terrain and my daily life/work routines consisted of tasks moving weighty items and using compounded body muscles then I would not need to lift weights but since I work at a desk all day and drive home in car and have numerous labor saving devices I need to move some weights for my health.
I think a study was done on astronauts in gravity free environments and muscle loss due to no resistance in their routines.
People are mistaken. Weight loss is 90% diet and 10% exercise.
The point is skinny people need to workout/strength train as well. Everybody does.
I believe, everybody should try to live an active lifestyle. I don't believe, strength training/working out is imperative to live a long healthy life. What I do believe, and advocate, is that people should eat healthy.
My great great grandma can still walk as far as mile and never once she did squats, or had an exercise regiment.
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People just do.not.get.it.
I am happy with my workouts, I am stronger than most women half my age, and in great health. I have even healed from my shoulder injuries and lifelong problem with sciatica. I have scoliosis among other skeletal problems so no way am I going to be doing any super "heavy lifting." It just isn't necessary for gains.
