Workout Touted as 'Fountain of Youth'

Dr. Marcas Bamman, a physiologist with decades of research into aging, has an important message for those who are 60-plus—women and men alike—hit the gym and engage in weight-resistance training. 
 
"Resistance training is, in many ways, the true fountain of youth," says Dr. Bamman. "I like to say the fountain of youth is the water cooler in the gym." This might sound daunting or intimidating, but according to Dr. Bamman, this shouldn't be discouraging. 
 
While there are biological limits that come with age, most age-related decline, such as loss of strength, flexibility, and endurance, is behavioral—a result of putting too few demands on our bodies rather than too many. 
 
"When I tell somebody that in four to six months your strength, muscle mass, and overall muscle function will elevate to levels akin to those of people 30-35 years younger than you, it hits home," he asserts. 
 
If you're considering starting resistance training but feel apprehensive about it, here's what Dr. Bamman suggests: 
 
Firstly, consult medical professionals, ensuring no health conditions could hinder your progress, before finding a suitable gym for yourself that can provide not only workout facilities but also social interactions on non-training days. 
 
He strongly recommends getting trained under professional supervision, stating, "It's actually quite safe if done properly." However, pointing out one major hurdle, he adds, "We need more rigorous certification for trainers." 
 
According to him, resistance training should ideally be performed twice or three times a week, allowing rest days between sessions. He proposes 10 different exercise movements, each comprising three sets of ten repetitions, until reaching maximum capacity, after which increasing resistance might be necessary. 
 
Machines would suit beginners, while free weights may prove effective once confidence builds up over time, along with warm-ups before each session, including treadmill runs or stationary bike rides, followed by some stretching exercises prior to engaging weights themselves, maintaining constant movement during workouts without lengthy breaks often seen when individuals get distracted by their phones. 
 
Interestingly, Dr. Bamman highlights that women may benefit more from resistance training than men because it serves as a means to counter osteoporosis, or loss of bone density, which is particularly prevalent among women, especially in areas like the hips and lower back. 
 
"Women are on a disadvantaged trajectory for bone loss," says the doctor who completed his doctorate at the University of Florida College of Medicine. "But the strength-training benefits for both sexes are really important." 
 
Bamman criticizes society's tendency to pamper seniors, including health professionals, saying, "Our human body is a demand-based system." He emphasizes that if we continually impart low demands, our bodies adapt accordingly, resulting in muscle mass reduction and overall weakness due to a lack of demand. 
 
However, imposing high demands such as those created through resistance training forces our bodies to adapt to these higher demands, leading them to develop stronger bones along with bigger muscles. 
 
He uses examples like space flight or extended bed rest where people rapidly lose strength, likening them to expedited aging processes, but counters this by stating how all bodily systems can respond positively given adequate stimuli even during old age, referring to positive effects seen among individuals in their 70s, 80s, and even some in their 90s. 
 
Dr. Bamman himself, aged 57, jokingly mentions getting closer in age towards people he studies while emphasizing there are no shortcuts when it comes down to achieving good health and maintaining skepticism about programs aimed at older adults involving seated exercises, deeming them gimmicky due to not placing enough physical demand on participants' bodies.