As we age we start to lose our muscles. From as early as the age of 30 we can lose around 3 to 5% of lean muscle mass a year. This alone is reason enough to add some strength training to our weekly routine. Other than building lean muscle, the other benefits of training with weights is to build stronger bones and reduce the risk of conditions like osteoporosis. It will also make everyday life easier by improving balance, flexibility and strength. Like other forms of exercise it will help maintain a healthy weight and keep away diseases such as diabetes etc.
Obviously to do exercises with weights, you need weights but this doesn’t necessarily mean you need to go out and buy an extensive range of free weights. A few kettlebells would do or maybe a cheap dumbbell set but if this isn’t possible then this could mean implementing things to use as weights, for example fill up old milk cartons or paint tins with handles with either sand or water until you get the desired weight and use the handles to lift them with. Then you could also slot a broom shank through the handles for deadlifts. Here are a few ideas I found on WikiHow.
Please make sure you warm up properly before starting any weight training and always finish with some static stretching. Failure to do this could lead to injury.
Legs
Beginners