Fun Fitness Exercise Model to Increase Muscle Strength and Endurance in the Elderly

8
May
2023

Based on data from WHO, the number of elderly people tends to continue to increase, reaching 1 billion in 2019, then increasing in 2030 with an estimate of 1.4 billion and in 2050 reaching 2.1 billion. In Indonesia, in 2019 the number of elderly people reached 25.9 million, in 2025 it is projected that the number of elderly people will increase to 33.7 million and will continue to increase until 2035, estimated to be 48.2 million people (Ministry of Health, 2021).

Prof. Nasrulloh explained that as a person ages, the elderly will experience decreased physical function, decreased muscle mass, decreased muscle strength and endurance, decreased cardiorespiration, increased body fat, and decreased brain function. This decline causes the risk of falls in the elderly which can result in fractures, disability, paralysis, and death. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a fun exercise model for the elderly to keep doing physical activity to be able to maintain and improve their muscle fitness.

So far, exercise recommendations for the elderly generally include aerobic exercise.  Not many people realize that strength and endurance training is very important for the elderly, so that the muscles have the strength and endurance to support the body during activities. Before doing heavier exercises, the main thing is to strengthen the muscles for the elderly. How can an elderly person be able to do jogging, cycling, aerobic exercises and so on, while their muscle strength and endurance are still weak. Therefore, muscle strength and endurance training is needed by the elderly to be able to support their bodies before doing heavier activities.

Prof. Nasrulloh developed a fun loading exercise model for the elderly to maintain their muscle fitness, namely the Fun Fitness Exercise Model. This Exercise Model is a loading exercise concept specifically designed for the elderly, so that the elderly are able to do exercises that are fun and according to their abilities. This Fun Fitness Exercise Model is an exercise model that can be done at home using simple tools that are around us such as teraband so that training feels easier and more fun, "said the lecturer who studied S1 and S2 at UNY and S3 at Surabaya State University (UNESA).

This Fun Fitness exercise includes; leg press, pulldown, abdominal, leg extension, chest press, russian twist, bicept curl, shourder press, laying leg curl, tricep, rowing, and butterfly. Prof. Nasrulloh stated that this Fun Fitness Exercise has been proven to be feasible for the elderly and proven to be significantly effective in increasing muscle strength and endurance in the elderly. With good muscle strength and endurance, the elderly can move normally without experiencing musculoskeletal disorders, so they can live independently and enjoy their old age happily. (Author: Khairani Faizah, Editor: Sudaryono, Tj.Lak)

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