Newcomers over the age of 80 have been productive in strength exercises

A new study on the effects of weight training on the elderly has shown that people as young as 90 years old who have never done such exercises before can make significant gains in weight training.

It is commonly believed that at a very old age - over 80 years old - to gain muscle mass and build strength will not work. This idea is partly rooted in the fact that such elderly people are rarely included in studies. In previous research papers on strength training, the age of volunteers was often limited to 75 years old.

However, the results of an experiment conducted by researchers from Maastricht University in the Netherlands with colleagues from Universidad de La Frontera in Chile shatters the common stereotype. The study was published by the international journal Human Kinetics Journals.

In order to prove that it's never too late to get fit, the authors developed a 12-week weight training program. Twenty-nine healthy older adults were recruited to participate in this clinical trial. Of these, 17 (13 women and four men) represented the 65-75 age subgroup. Another 12 subjects were over 85 years of age. None of the participants had previously engaged in regular strength training.

Before, during and at the end of the program, which lasted three months, the researchers assessed the subjects' muscle mass, strength and functional capacity. All volunteers also underwent a medical health screening beforehand.

The weight training sessions were supervised three times a week. They consisted of a five-minute warm-up and a series of exercises on various machines alternated with stretching. The load reached 80 percent of the upper limit of the participants' strength capabilities.

Before the program began, the researchers expected that all participants would improve muscle mass and strength, but a less pronounced effect was expected in the subgroup over 85 than among 65- to 75-year-olds. However, the results exceeded the researchers' expectations.

After three months of training, the oldest participants had gained more muscle mass and strength in relative terms than the "younger" volunteers. The gains for the former averaged 11% and 46%, respectively, versus 10% and 38% for the latter.

In addition, the 85+ group showed greater progress in terms of overall fitness, as evidenced by the results of the chair standing and mobility tests. Their scores improved by about 13%, while those of the 65-75-year-olds improved by 8%.

According to the researchers, this effect can be partly explained by the fact that the older participants had a decade longer decline in muscle mass and strength and started training at a lower baseline level.

Although the experiment proved conclusively that it is never too late to start exercising, its results should be treated with caution. The exercises were performed under the supervision of specialists, and the level of load was constantly adjusted as necessary, which is difficult to ensure for ordinary people at home.

It is also worth emphasizing that the experiment involved men and women healthy for their age with minimal physical limitations. For older people with serious illnesses or disabilities, strength training may be simply impossible or dangerous. Therefore, before taking up dumbbells or other exercises, scientists advised people over 60 years of age to consult with their physician.

Nevertheless, the conclusions of the work are very important, because low muscle strength is one of the biggest problems in the daily life of people of age. It not only makes it difficult for them to walk and do household chores, but also has a negative impact on bone strength (bone mineralization increases as muscle strength grows), as well as on a person's hormonal background.