If you are a woman and over the age of 50, strength training is essential

Physical exercise is always important and beneficial, whether we are a woman or a man. But in the case of women in particular, many of the benefits are obtained at around the age of 45, as estrogen declines and menopause arrives. Strength training is the most effective when it comes to preventing osteoporosis problems that can result from menopause. PhD in Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, Professor at INEF Madrid, and former coach of the Women’s Olympic Triathlon Team Alberto Garcia Bataller explains in infosalus: «It must be borne in mind that in Spain, those women who suffer a hip fracture due to osteoporosis, their life expectancy in 50% of cases is 2 to 3 years, and the way to prevent it is to exercise strength because it Increase strength. The mineral density of the femur neck bones will also allow women to be more independent.”

As he explains, strength training can be done from home or in the gym, by lifting a weight that costs you, for example, stairs with bottles, with a bar and weights, with dumbbells for example. “It is necessary to always be overweight. I do not care about water bottles as in an epidemic, but you have to gain weight that costs you. “You can work with weight machines, with bars, weights or dumbbells for example,” he adds.

It’s an effort that should cost you more than 10 repetitions, he stresses. “It must be work that costs you much to do, otherwise it is not strength and you must tire yourself too. If you can do 20-30 reps in a row, it’s not strength, because you have to exhaust yourself and make it impossible for you to continue,” he explains.

Garcia Bataller also points out that in the case of women, women’s leg strength is also of great importance, especially to enhance mineral density in the bones of the neck of the femur, which is the most serious fracture that can occur in women. Osteoporosis, as we mentioned earlier.