Ideal Exercise Program for Seniors
 Body by Science

An ideal exercise program for seniors (and elderly clients) would do some very important things. For one, it would increase the standard quality of life, making it easier to get around, increase endurance, build muscle, and get back to a more youthful operation of the body.

Two, this ideal exercise program would need to have the potential to increase health and longevity and even the common life span of the person doing the workout.

Three, we would want this senior/elderly exercise program to be safe on the body, and to even act in a rehabilitative manner.

The good news about all of this is that there IS an ideal exercise program for seniors, and it has immensely positive life changing effects.

This is the resistance training method taught in Dr. Doug McGuff's book Body by Science.

In fact, the last chapter of Body by Science (chapter 11) is called “The Ideal Training Program for Seniors.”

First I want to talk about all the amazing benefits, then I'll give you a few options on how to get started right away!

Ideal Exercise for Seniors and Elderly
Body by Science

Some important points of this ideal exercise program for seniors –

The most beneficial stimulus we could give our body is resistance training, also known as strength training or weight training

WHY?

Because all of the important health benefits that medical researchers attribute to exercise occur when we use weights or resistance to stimulate muscle growth.

Walking will NOT produce these healthy changes alone. “Sit and be fit” programs will also NOT produce these healthy changes either.

When we work our muscles in a very meaningful way it produces some very potent changes within our bodies by releasing microscopic proteins called myokines. These myokines are responsible for things like:

lowering cholesterol

lowering blood pressure

initiating the self destruction of cancer cells

building bone density

increasing cognitive function

a more youthful expression of your genes (strength training makes us biologically younger)

The Ideal Exercise Program for Senior and Elderly Clients

The good news about this ideal exercise program for seniors and elderly - All of these health benefits that are attributed to exercise happen in the body when we use our muscles and fatigue our muscles in a deep and meaningful way.

From chapter 11 of Dr. Doug McGuff's book Body by Science:

“Strength training is the best preventative medicine in which a human being can engage. In many instances, senior citizens are being medicated to improve those listed biomarkers of health, never having been told that it is fully within their power to achieve these same effects through proper resistance training.” -page 243

In most modern exercise programs for seniors and elderly, fitness trainers seem to treat these older clients as though they are made of glass or porcelain. This approach causes more harm than good and I'll tell you exactly why -

While safety should always be the number one important factor is senior and elderly strength training programs, most trainers and even doctors don't understand that the stimulus (workout) must be taxing enough on the body to provide an adequate response (health benefits and muscle growth).

In other words, in order for seniors and elderly to get the health benefits of exercise we have to put enough resistance on the body to be able to have these powerful returns in health, longevity, and strength. In order to provide benefit, the workout must be intense. Otherwise the efforts have little to no value.

What I am talking about here is NOT a picture of traditional training that you are thinking of.

In crowded gyms you see a bunch of young people generally lifting weights at unsafe speeds and using ballistic (jerky) movements that are dangerous for the joints, bones, and connective tissue.

This ideal exercise program for seniors and elderly allows us to move super slow and safely while getting all of the health benefits attributed to exercise.

In fact, this Body by Science workout was first developed at the University of Florida as a clinical study to find out if we could strengthen the bones of frail and elderly patients of osteoporosis. We found exactly that – we can add huge measurable bone density in a safe manner.

This workout program was then coined as 'Super Slow' by Ken Hutchins – and it eventually changed the way the longevity medical community views exercise and elderly.

The Ideal Exercise Program for Seniors and Elderly 
Makes us Biologically Younger

What we found in the decades following this research is all of the other benefits that I listed above, and even more through the release of myokines in the body.

When it comes down to it, this form of workout is truly life extension for senior and elderly clients.

One of the most compelling studies was in 2007, published in the medical journal – Public Library of Science. Dr. Simon Meltov wanted to find out what effect just 6 months of strength training would have on the gene expression of 70 year old clients.

What we found was extraordinary in every way – of the 600 genes that are associated with aging, in just six short months of using strength training almost 200 of these aging genes began expressing themselves at a biologically younger level.

Nothing in human history has shown to reverse the age of the human body on a molecular level.

Until now.

This is the message I want to get across to anyone and everyone – please utilize strength training. Especially if you are senior or elderly, this is so important to your long term health and longevity.

My mission is to help others live a longer life through exercise, and I want to share in any way I can to make that possible for you!

I discuss all of these factors on my video below as well

Get Started NOW with the Ideal Exercise Program for Seniors and Elderly

1 on 1 Training with The Perfect Workout - The safest way to begin learning our method is with one on one personalized fitness instructors AT HOME or IN STUDIO to assure safety and maximum results. 

Get started learning the method on your own on Nautilus machines in a studio/gym setting.

Get started with some high intensity isometric exercises with no weights at home.