At Totum, we often talk about ‘moving young’ for as long as possible. This obviously has an impact on those 60 and above, but it actually starts in your 20’s. Tennis, running, swimming, biking, golf, you name it. Your ability to perform any of these activities is lessened if your muscular power decreases, and that starts a lot younger than most people think.
Muscular power is pretty straightforward. It’s how quickly you can apply the greatest force. Any kind of jump is a classic example of human power in action.
In a recent article by Alex Hutchinson for Outside magazine, he examines research that focuses on why older athletes, and people in general, lose muscular power as they age. Here are the key findings:
- Loss of power as we age is almost entirely related to a reduction in strength.
- Muscular power has very little impact on activities of daily living, unless it drops below a critical threshold, after which getting out of a chair, or off the toilet, becomes difficult quickly.
- Plyometric exercise helps to improve the messaging from brain to muscle, thereby allowing us to ‘move younger’.
Based on this information, we have the following tips:
- Never stop challenging your muscles to be stronger. Lift weights, jump, climb stairs or hills, carry heavy stuff, etc.
- If you, or someone you know, are in their 60’s or beyond, quality of life will largely be dependent on staying strong. No matter what your age is, strength can be built.
- ‘Bouncy’, jumping activities help to keep your brain-muscle connection strong. Note: If you haven’t done this type of activity for a while, take it slow to avoid injury.
Our experience over the last 25 years has shown us that no matter your age when you maintain or increase your muscular strength, you perform all physical activities at a higher level. Whether that’s winning the club championship or just being able to travel is up to you. Strength is critical in allowing you to do it all.