The experience of those who have gone before us provides compelling reasons to do strength training for the rest of our lives. Keep strong, even as you age, with this advice from Dr Gabe Mirkin.
A 2015 study from the University of Copenhagen showed that wearing an immobilising knee brace for just two weeks caused men in their twenties to lose 22 to 34 per cent of their leg muscle strength, while men in their sixties lost 20 to 26 per cent.
It took them six weeks of exercising 3-4 times a week on a bicycle to restore the leg muscle size and ability to exercise. Even that did not fully restore the leg muscle strength.
This study demonstrates some significant points:
When muscles of young men are immobilised for two weeks, they lose strength equivalent to aging 40 or 50 years.
As soon as you stop moving, your muscles start to weaken.
The larger your muscles, the more muscle you have to lose.
Younger and stronger people lose strength even faster than older people.
This story is from the Issue 21 edition of TRAIL.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Issue 21 edition of TRAIL.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Heat Cheat
In his How Or Why series, coach SEAN TAIT, founder and Running technique coach at Off the Mark, digs deeper into specific issues troubling TRAIL readers.
Pacing The Way To Change
Seeing a need, Jo Keppler ran 130km to raise funds for the Southern Lodestar Foundation breakfast programme on Saturday 6 November 2020.
Die Ander Tafelberg(e)
Dalene van Staden developed Die Ander Tafelberge* project, recruiting Caro Jordaan and Magan Hanekom to summit all 15 Tafelberge in the Western Cape, ending with Cape Town's Table Mountain.
Dodge The Super Plods
We all want to get faster, not slower. But the plods are real – if we overdo our training. Stay fast with Joburg-based coach Neville Beeton.
Grounding Is It The Missing Link?
Durban biokineticist Stephan Terblanche has been in private practice for almost 25 years. One of his biggest frustrations is that some patients do not get better, regardless of treatment, for unknown reasons. He believes that a lack of grounding is a major factor.
THE ALIENS ARE HERE
Why do we run? There is no simple answer.
Meeting Rona
Being young and fit doesn't faze COVID-19. Salomon runner THABANG MADIBA (36) experienced this for himself.
For the Love
RACHEL MANYATHI is an ultra runner and high school teacher whose life centres around kindness, and mountain adventure.
Cultivating FLOW
High-performance coach CRAIG CAROLAN shares the Tao of Mike and positive psychology to help you reach maximum gratification on the trail.
Bites & Stings
Life support medic ALET MAARTENS is a Gauteng-based trail runner with a few tips to keep you safe against summer bugs with big appetites or short tempers.