Check Out What I’ve Been Checking Out
What I’m Reading
“Maintenance of whole muscle strength and size following resistance training in older men”
In a previous post, I covered research around the risk and devastating impact of elderly falls and fractures, as well as the potential for resistance training to mitigate these injuries later in life.
The study above by Trappe and Colleagues is a powerful example of this potential, in that it shows both the large gains that elderly individuals can make in muscle mass and strength through resistance training, along with the minimal effort required to maintain those gains over time. (I)
In particular, not only did all of the 10 subjects with an average age of 70 increase their strength and muscle mass after 12 weeks of performing leg extensions three days per week, but the 5 subjects that trained one time per week for the following 6 months were able to maintain those gains. (I)
Specifically, the 10 subjects averaged a ~50% increase in leg extension 1-repetition maximum and a ~6-7% increase in thigh muscle cross-sectional area after their 12-week active training period. (I)
The 5 subjects that did not complete any resistance training during the 6-month follow-on period lost much of their muscle mass gains (~76% of what they gained); however, despite decreasing from week 12 to the end of the study, their average leg extension 1-repetition-maximum was still ~41% greater than their baseline strength at the end of the 6-month follow-on period. (I)
On the other hand, the 5 subjects that trained once per week during the 6-month reduced training period largely maintained their muscle mass gains and, though not statistically significantly, slightly increased their leg extension 1-repetition-maximum further by the end of the 6-month follow-on period. (I)
To me, considering the damage that often follows elderly falls (*cough, cough* , ~2.78X increased risk of death in the year following an elderly hip fracture (II)), this data literally suggests that regular elderly resistance training can change and potentially save lives.
“The current investigation suggests that training at 80% of the [1-repetition-maximum] is sufficient to preserve both muscle mass and strength characteristics in older adults following 12 weeks of [progressive resistance training]. This has important social implications for time management and cost for the elderly population and the health care community. Given that 1 day per week seems to be effective to prevent the advancement of sarcopenia, older adults could engage in a low volume, high-intensity resistance training program and still maintain independence and reduce their chances for falls and injuries.” (I)