It's never too late to start exercising
Reap the benefits in just months!
In 2009, a pilot study* was run with eight nursing home residents who had impaired mobility, who ranged in age from 77 to 97 years old. They were recruited to undergo strength training twice a week over two months.
Exercise with the elderly residents consisted of a progressive resistance training program that included six different gym machines - chest press, butterfly reverse, rowing machine, leg press, leg extension, and crunch trainer. The program involved three sets of eight repetitions, and lasted about 45 minutes.
After completing the eight-week seniors exercise program, participants were assessed again. Improvements in mobility was seen in every participant, with men improving by 27% and women by 21%. Muscle strength also increased on every machine and for every participant, with an increase of between 62-108%, and women showing the greatest improvement. For the rowing machine and leg extension machine, the weight they were able to lift doubled, and the number of sit-up repetitions increased fourfold.
So what does this mean for older adults exercising? It means that no matter when you start, you’re going to benefit from it, and you’re going to see results. Exercise for seniors is not a lost cause or a waste of time - you can still get great results from your workout if you keep at it consistently. Aged care residents in this trial showed huge improvements in muscle strength on every machine they used, and they had only been exercising twice a week for two months to get those results.
Imagine what you could do if you committed to two or three different exercise classes each week for 12 months?
Consider taking out our Older Adults Agility Membership, which gives you unlimited and unrestricted access to all our older adults workouts. It’s never too late to start, and you’ll see the benefits in no time.
Taken from: Krist L, Dimeo F, Keil T. Can progressive resistance training twice a week improve mobility, muscle strength, and quality of life in very elderly nursing-home residents with impaired mobility? A pilot study Clin Interv Aging. 2013;8:443-448. doi:10.2147/CIA.S42136.
Exercise with the elderly residents consisted of a progressive resistance training program that included six different gym machines - chest press, butterfly reverse, rowing machine, leg press, leg extension, and crunch trainer. The program involved three sets of eight repetitions, and lasted about 45 minutes.
After completing the eight-week seniors exercise program, participants were assessed again. Improvements in mobility was seen in every participant, with men improving by 27% and women by 21%. Muscle strength also increased on every machine and for every participant, with an increase of between 62-108%, and women showing the greatest improvement. For the rowing machine and leg extension machine, the weight they were able to lift doubled, and the number of sit-up repetitions increased fourfold.
So what does this mean for older adults exercising? It means that no matter when you start, you’re going to benefit from it, and you’re going to see results. Exercise for seniors is not a lost cause or a waste of time - you can still get great results from your workout if you keep at it consistently. Aged care residents in this trial showed huge improvements in muscle strength on every machine they used, and they had only been exercising twice a week for two months to get those results.
Imagine what you could do if you committed to two or three different exercise classes each week for 12 months?
Consider taking out our Older Adults Agility Membership, which gives you unlimited and unrestricted access to all our older adults workouts. It’s never too late to start, and you’ll see the benefits in no time.
Taken from: Krist L, Dimeo F, Keil T. Can progressive resistance training twice a week improve mobility, muscle strength, and quality of life in very elderly nursing-home residents with impaired mobility? A pilot study Clin Interv Aging. 2013;8:443-448. doi:10.2147/CIA.S42136.