“It completely changed my way of thinking.”

Thus, loss of muscle mass, decreased mobility or chronic illnesses are feared aspects that many try to combat with a active life. Exercise, in gyms, at home or on the street, is increasingly common among older people and, in addition to morning walks, many are encouraged by “aquagym”, yoga or Pilates, Zumba or even “spinning”.

However, in recent times the range of sporting opportunities for grandparentseven if some cases surprise more than one. That’s what happened to Merce, a 96-year-old woman who went viral a few years ago after the exercises she did to regain mobility after a spinal fracture were seen on social media. Her brother Mark took her to an open house at a Cincinnati gym and there she discovered fitness, which improved her health.

His weightlifting, weighing around 24 kilos, stunned half the world. “All dumbbell movements can be modified to suit individual abilities. And everyone can get stronger,” said Chris Reis, her personal trainer. Inspired by her case, Clare Johnson, a Scottish journalist, decided that her parents, whose health was declining, should try the exercising with weights and he just recounted his experience.

“Movements can be modified”

As Merce’s initial video revealed, she started training “with a very high pull (with only a few inches of range of motion) lifting 11 pounds” and after hard work and no-fail training, she ended up lifting 53 pounds off the ground. From the gym they went to, they pointed out what there was to see “incredible transformations» young and old are already common.

HAS Clear This story inspired him a lot and that is why he wanted to investigate the advantages that his parents could have, which They were becoming more and more fragile, by switching to regular weight training. Her mother, Rhoda (82), suffered from osteoporosis, which caused her numerous back pains and increasing imbalances, to the point where she could barely walk. And his father, Michael (81), hardly exercised regularly anymore and a hernia had weakened him even more.

“It radically changed their lives,” Clare recently told the Telegraph, where she made it clear: “⁠the importance of muscles“. The Scot spoke to Cincinnati personal trainer Chris Reis and reveals he explained to him the importance of progressive strength training. “Becoming stronger, by gradually increasing the weight of what you lift, can make a big difference, not only in terms of strength, mobility and independence, but also in terms of your health,” explains the British newspaper article.

She points out that it’s common to arrive at the final stages of life believing that “you can’t get stronger” and that what’s more, as the years go by, “you only become more fragile.” However, Clare clarifies that “It completely changed my way of thinking.” So he showed Merce’s video to his parents and all three agreed that “this was something we had to try.” “The idea of ​​being able to delay or reverse (the decline in health) was very attractive,” she admits.

The weight training they recommended

As explained in ‘The Telegraph’, Rhoda’s physical transformation since she started training with weights was “surprising”. At the start of the year, they started working out, at a bar and from a garage at home, and hooking up with Chris. Clare’s parents had to four exercises with this support: squats, bench press, bench press and deadlifts.

First, the coach asked them to increase, from week to week, one kilo in training. Now they only lift about 250 grams because they have already reached a high intensity: Michael lifts about 93 kilos (he started at 40) and Rhoda, 43 kilos (she started at 12). The three do their exercises every Monday and Thursday morning in sessions that last about 90 minutes during which most of the time is spent shifting weight.

His change, recalls ‘The Telegraph’, was “dramatic”. Rhoda, who could barely walk 30 seconds straight, has already reached 6 minutes without support and emphasizes that she is already going quickly, without pain and without sagging too much. Plus, you need less help with everyday tasks like going up and down stairs or opening jars. And mentally he is much stronger: “I don’t feel old. “I feel like I’m getting younger,” explains the old woman. Michael doesn’t have as visible a change but he is also much fitter.

In the report, Clare ends up giving three simple tips but clear: give older people concrete examples to motivate them, remove any obstacles so that they can lift weights (starting with finding a trainer but also preparing the space and equipment for them) and getting approval from a doctor to confirm that everything is okay and that they can exercise.