Everyone, no matter how young or old, should be doing some kind of regular strength training. This could be at the gym, or at home using very little equipment. Resistance bands and balls, small hand weights, water and even your own body weight can be used as resistance when designing a strength training program.
Builds muscle strength: Adults lose between five and seven pounds of muscle every decade after age 20. Strength training will help prevent this muscle loss, and rebuild what you may have lost.
Increases calorie burn: Strength training increases the body's metabolic rate, causing the body to burn more calories throughout the day. This aids significantly in long term weight loss.
Start by strength training 2 days/week, building up to 3 days/week for more of a challenge. Make sure you have at least one day of rest in between each session.
Start with 2-3 exercises each for lower body and upper body and 1-2 core exercises (abs, lower back). Examples of exercises can be found in the Fitness Resource Center.
Start with one set of each exercise (12-15 repetitions- slow and steady), using light hand weights, resistance bands or your own body weight. As you progress, you can work up to 2 and then 3 sets.
As you add additional sets, rest 30 seconds to a minute in between each one.
Never hold your breath during the exercises. Always exhale when exerting force (on the hard part of the movement).
Always warm up before and stretch before and after each session.
Pay attention to proper form and technique, as they are very important for injury prevention and producing results.
When selecting a weight, it should be heavy enough that you feel the muscle working and the difficulty increasing as you get to the 15th repetition. The weight should be light enough that you can do 15 repetitions without pain or breaking proper form.
Strength training should never be painful! If you experience pain, stop the exercise immediately.