The Aging Athlete

"Much of what we call 'aging' is associated with disuse — the slow surrender of strength, power, and capacity that comes not from the calendar but from doing less. One of the most important and best-supported things an older adult can do is not a pill, a supplement, or a clinic; it is exercise, and above all, building and keeping strength. And the most encouraging fact in this whole field is that it is never too late to start: even people in their nineties have been shown to get stronger when they train."

Aging is universal, but the rate and experience of physical aging vary enormously — and far more of that variation is modifiable than most people believe. Too often, declining strength, balance, energy, and independence are accepted as the inevitable price of getting older, and exercise (especially strength training) is seen as inappropriate, risky, or pointless for older adults. Both assumptions are wrong — and costly.

This book is for everyone who is aging (which is everyone) — older adults and seniors themselves, the caregivers and family who support them, and the coaches, trainers, and clinicians who work with them. As with every book in this series, it is inclusive and written at a university level while remaining friendly. Its companion in this library is Collection K (the biology of aging and longevity); where K explains why we age and the broad longevity picture, M3 is the applied "training" book: how to train the aging body to preserve strength, function, and independence.