The benefits of resistance bands for older athletes
Including resistance training in your life can bring you a great many benefits, including:
- improved muscular strength and stability
- improved balance and coordination
- increased flexibility and range of motion
- mitigation of age-related bone loss
- boosted metabolic rate
Using a resistance band to elicit this resistance will enable you to reap all of these benefits without as much concussive force going into your joints.
Resistance bands are large elastic bands that can be used to create resistance to any muscle/movement. They provide accommodating resistance, meaning they get harder the tighter you pull them, and will lead to improvements in strength and musculature.
Resistance bands are particularly useful for those with low mobility, or those looking to increase mobility, as exercises can mostly be performed from a seated position, and most will take joints through a wide range of motion under very controllable loads. What's more, you can use them at home- all you need is a couple of bands that cost a few pounds each.
Aim for 2-3 sessions per week, getting into each muscle group for 3-5 sets.
How to form good fitness habits #7- let your training travel
It can be hard to maintain a consistent training regime if you have to travel a lot. You don't always have access to the venues you want or the equipment you need. However, there are some pieces of kit that travel really well. They are easy to pack away and light enough to carry around. They are also versatile: you will want something that can work pretty much everything.
Two great options spring to mind:
1. A yoga or Pilates mat: Gravity and bodyweight work well as resistance, and a yoga or Pilates mat will make exercises like planks, push ups, grounded calisthenics and core work much more doable.
2. Resistance bands: 3-4 resistance bands, ranging from light to heavy, will allow you to work pretty much any and every muscle in your body, through their full ranges of motion.
Both options are cheap at a few pounds per item, are incredibly lightweight, and will take up next to no space in your luggage.