I love that the leader of the 1.3 billion catholics goes to the gym. According to AP News, the newly elected Pope Leo XIV works with a personal trainer at the Omega gym in Rome. Unfortunately though, it would seem like the Pope’s exercise routine is not aligned to the current physical activity recommendation by World Health Organisation.
What does the Pope do at the gym?
The workout of the Pope is mostly cardiovascular in nature. It seems like bike and treadmill are his go to equipment. I was mentioned in the news article that the Pope also does training for his posture though it is unclear what this entails.
On the bright side, Pope Leo XIV goes to the gym twice to thrice per week. While muscle strengthening exercises seem lacking from his routine, the use of resistance on exercise bike can indeed build leg musculature.
In fact, I often meet new clients who are cyclists or triathletes with really strong legs despite not doing any bit of weight training. Of course cycling on flat surfaces is not going to help as much with developing strength, but if you do enough hill work you can expect yourself to pack some quad power.
Nonetheless, strength training for athletes is still important because doing cardio to increase strength is a very inefficient way to improve strength.
How much exercise should seniors get a day?
The Pope is 69 years old so he is very much a senior. There is a misconception that older adults should exercise less. However, that is not true.
In fact, physical activity guidelines around the world recommend seniors to do more exercise than their younger counterparts.
According to the Singapore Physical Activity Guidelines (SPAG), adults 65 years old and above should participate in at least 150 to 300 minutes of aerobic exercises every week. On top of that, seniors should also engage in muscle strengthening exercises at least twice a week. This is to keep muscles, bones, and joints strong.
Does it end there? No.
Seniors are also recommended to include multi-component exercises that have strength and functional balance components for at least three days per week. The intensity should be at least moderate or higher. In other words, those arm swings and leg swings you see older adults doing around HDB estates probably ain’t making the cut.
Never too late for elderly to start exercising
We are very blessed to live in Singapore cos there is definitely effort from the government at getting seniors to move more, and move better.
For example, ActiveSG runs multiple programmes and events catered for seniors. Entry to ActiveSG is also free for seniors since 2020!
The CALM 1.0 programme is available to seniors 60 years and older to start strengthening their muscles. The programme is directed at reducing risk of muscle mass loss or sarcopenia, a disease that is strongly associated with osteoporosis. There is even a CALM 2.0 for seniors who have been strength training for a while to take their training up another level!
The CALM 1.0 programme is only $60 for eight sessions. There is a further 10% discount for seniors and up to 30% can be paid using ActiveSG credits.
Outside of ActiveSG, NTUC Health also runs Senior Gym. The programmes include circuit training and functional strength training. The fees are more expensive at $300.80 for 12 sessions.
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