Call it what you will – healthy ageing, positive ageing, active ageing – but experts agree on one thing: resistance exercise is critical to live in good health for longer.
A recent Age survey of five health and consumer experts found that wearable devices and resistance training are the top health trends for the coming year.
And resistance training is particularly important as we grow older: to prevent significant loss of lean mass; and for balance, injury prevention and functional fitness.
Yet only about 40 per cent of Australians meet the recommendations for twice-weekly strength training.
Consumer analyst Trent Rigby says strength training is no longer about aesthetics or gym culture.
’It’s about longevity, injury prevention and staying functional,’ he says.
‘Next year, I think we’ll look back and realise cardio-first fitness was a hangover from another era.’
‘Gyms, apps and programs are already pivoting hard toward muscle, bone density and resilience.’
getback™ has been ahead of the curve in championing resistance training as a key to active ageing and pain management.
‘We started developing our programs to improve strength and movement, particularly for people with existing back problems, over 35 years ago,’ says getback Clinical Director, Geoffrey Mackay.
‘Our initial focus was how to treat people suffering from back pain in a way that would enable them to regain strength and mobility so they could be active again.’
‘In recent years we have broadened our focus to joints that are critical for functionality as we age, including the knee, hip and shoulder.’
At getback, every patient undergoes a thorough assessment with a Physiotherapist before starting an exercise therapy program.
The assessment includes:
- Review of your medical and injury history
- Measuring the strength and range of movement of key spinal muscle groups to identify any areas of weakness or imbalance.
The assessment allows your therapist to design a program that focuses on regaining your strength, mobility and balance where it’s most needed.
getback™ programs start very gradually and every session is supervised by a Physiotherapist or Exercise Physiologist, with a maximum of four patients in a group appointment.
