How to educate my mother in the value of proper strength training?

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hello,

My mother is 73 years young. She is incredibly active and fit, she goes for a brisk walk of several miles daily, does yoga and pilates regularly, and does some modest resistance training - something like 3x10 on various machines, same exact workout for many years, which is not difficult for her at this point [or at least, that’s what she did before the covid lockdown], and other than that she is constantly in motion doing things around the house, garden, etc. Healthy body weight, balanced diet, no major medical issues.

I believe that if she incorporated a more serious strength training program, e.g. with a barbell where the weight somehow increases over time, it would add some strength and muscle mass, which would generally improve her comfort, effectiveness, and safety (less likely to be injured) in her day to day life right now and, perhaps more importantly, as she makes her way into her 80’s and 90’s. I’m not too concerned about the details of which program, which movements, etc. - my main problem right now is convincing her of the value of such an approach. If she is convinced, then I can sort out those details and find someone to teach her the movements properly one-on-one. Although she is very disciplined and dedicated to whatever plan she pursues, she is basically stubbornly convinced that simply doing any sort of resistance training is all she needs, and what type is not important.

Assuming you agree with my premise: are there any resources you can direct me to to convince her to step up the seriousness of her strength training? e.g. an article or video which addresses this issue head on, specifically as it pertains to aging? I apologize if I have overlooked it, but so far I have not seen a resource which thoroughly and in a focused way addresses these issues - although bits and pieces are here and there in a diffuse manner, if I can’t convey the story clearly, concisely, and convincingly I am pretty sure she won’t be interested.

I am greatly appreciative of any advice you can give me, or any resources you can direct me to.

All the best,

s.a.r.

2

I believe that if she incorporated a more serious strength training program, e.g. with a barbell where the weight somehow increases over time, it would add some strength and muscle mass, which would generally improve her comfort, effectiveness, and safety (less likely to be injured) in her day to day life right now

Can you clarify what you mean by “comfort, effectiveness, and safety”? Is she having issues with discomfort or injury at the moment?

It sounds like she is doing extremely well overall in terms of physical activity, is actually resistance training (ideally at least twice per week), and can probably do everything she wants to be able to do in her life. It is not necessary to turn her into a powerlifter, nor does it seem likely she will be interested in doing that. There are many ways to achieve these outcomes from a health promotion standpoint.

We would agree that most people can stand to benefit from increasing their strength and muscle mass, particularly at her age – however, those who are the weakest and most frail stand to gain the most from this intervention, whereas for people who are already in good physical shape, the specific health benefits from changing from one training modality to another are much smaller, if any.

If there are specific things she is having problems with, those may serve as useful anchors to work on a behavior change intervention (for example, if she is having issues with balance or falls, we can make a reasonably good case for free weight training, although even machine training will have benefits here too). But if she isn’t having such issues, I might just try to promote a bit more progressive overload (e.g., increasing load) within her existing exercise program that she is comfortable with.

3

Thank you very much for taking the time to give thoughtful and very helpful feedback.

She has no major discomfort, injury, or specific problem to address, just normal aging and the minor aches and pains and whatever that go along with it. By “comfort, effectiveness, and safety” I mean mainly in regards to physical things that she likes to do (e.g. hiking, yardwork, yoga, whatever), but also interacting with the physical world in general. To expand a bit:

  • Comfort: less fatigue, difficulty, or unpleasant strain during these activities (i.e., more enjoyment during the activity)
  • Effectiveness: being able to have greater options in, for example, choosing a more challenging hike, a more strenuous project around the house, or whatever (i.e., more options in activity)
  • Safety: being less likely to have a minor or major injury in pursuit of these things

I should also clarify that my question intended to go beyond more easily quantifiable and/or binary things like mortality, but rather focus on where a person is on the continuum of physical capacity and enjoyment of the physical aspects of daily life, and taking a step towards an optimum (while being aware of diminishing returns). I fully agree she doesn’t need to be a powerlifter or do anything extreme, and machines might be the best fit for her.

I think you perfectly summarized, and to some degree affirmed, my fundamental assumption which is that adding some progressive overload (currently entirely missing from her routine, which started out only modestly difficult and has remained essentially unchanged for perhaps a decade) is likely to improve her quality of life in the above listed respects.

What is still perhaps a bit open to me, then, is how best to convince her of this. Being able to refer her to your feedback is already a big help, and thank you again for that.

I also did a bit more reading in the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (which I see now I should have done before my initial question), and have found some degree of support here and there my line of thinking. To take just one example:

Hip fracture is a serious health condition that can have life-changing negative effects for many older people.
Physically active people, especially women, appear to have a lower risk of hip fracture than do inactive people.
Among older adults, physical activity reduces the risk of falling and injuries from falls. Research demonstrates
that multicomponent physical activity programs are most successful at reducing falls and injuries. These
programs commonly include muscle-strengthening activities and balance training and may also include gait
and coordination training, physical function training, and moderate-intensity activities, such as walking.

It is a little bit cryptic, but “muscle-strengthening” is perhaps an implicit direction to incorporate progressive overload, as I suppose those two things are hard to separate.

That full document, though, is not the most accessible resource for people like my mom and many like her. If you happen to know of anything published (and reputable) which can more concisely convey the value of progressive overload for “ordinary” aging people, I would be happy to know about it. Or maybe it even inspires someone to write an article on this site at some point. :slight_smile:

Thanks again for your time.

4

Providing people with information alone is rarely sufficient to get them to change their behavior (or, in this case, to get your mother to bump the weight selection pin up one notch during her next session). It sounds like she probably already meets the vast majority of the current physical activity guidelines (which was my point in the initial reply).

Rather, behavior change is a much more complex process – from our side, developing skills in a process called Motivational Interviewing is among the most helpful skills here. This involves a conversation with the individual to understand them, their viewpoint, their motivations, their individual barriers/fears/concerns, etc., and collaboratively developing a strategy to establish and achieve a common goal.

5

By chance she is the psychologist, not me, but I do see what you mean. That framework you describe seems a very sensible approach, I’ll proceed with it in mind. Considering the lockdown situation, she anyway can’t do her normal routine and is trying to sort out a stop-gap, so I just now bought the At-Home Template for her, maybe reading it and incorporating some of the principles will later translate into openness to some progression in her gym routine.

I know you’re a busy guy, thanks again for sharing your time and wisdom!