Friday, January 13, 2012

Old people should do resistance training

Of course they should.  We know that.

Here is another study just to rub it in:

Physical function predicts improvement in quality of life in elderly icelanders after 12 weeks of resistance exercise.

Conclusions: Our study shows that a 12-week resistance exercise program significantly improves lean mass, muscle strength, physical function and HRQL in elderly individuals, and that improvements in physical function predict improvements in HRQL. Our study indicates that resistance training should be promoted for the elderly as it has the potential to improve physical performance, thereby prolonging healthy, independent aging.

4 comments:

kyle said...

Thanks for posting this. The sad thing is, many people just don't realize how much resistance training can improve function, mobility, and strength.

FredT said...

It only needs to be once per week, and only 1/2 hr - 45 minutes to have a tremendous effect.

annlee said...

http://sweatscience.com/the-incredible-unaging-triathlete/

Amazing cross sections of the thigh.

Billy Oblivion said...

Quesiton, I've seen evidence on both sides of this, but do resistance bands of various kinds work as well for this sort of thing as "real" weights?