Resistance Exercise for Muscular Strength in Older Adults: A Meta-Analysis
By M. Peterson, M. Rhea, Ananda Sen, P. Gordon. Ageing Research Reviews, 2010
719 citations recorded by the source corpus.
Purpose The effectiveness of resistance exercise for strength improvement among aging persons is inconsistent across investigations, and there is a lack of research synthesis for multiple strength outcomes. Methods The systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations. A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the effect of resistance exercise (RE) for multiple strength outcomes in aging adults. Randomized controlled trials and randomized or non-randomized studies among adults ≥ 50 years, were included. Data were pooled using random effect models. Outcomes for 4 common strength tests were analyzed for main effects. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed using the Cochran Q and I2 statistics, and publication bias was evaluated through physical inspection of funnel plots as well as formal rank-correlation statistics. A linear mixed model regression was incorporated to examine differences between outcomes, as well as potential study-level predictor variables. Results Forty-seven studies were included, representing 1079 participants. A positive effect for each of the strength outcomes was determined however there was heterogeneity between studies. Regression revealed that higher intensity training was associated with greater improvement. Strength increases ranged from 9.8 – 31.6 kg, and percent changes were 29 ± 2, 24 ± 2, 33 ± 3, and 25 ± 2, respectively for leg press, chest press, knee extension, and lat pull. Conclusions RE is effective for improving strength among older adults, particularly with higher intensity training. Findings therefore suggest that RE may be considered a viable strategy to prevent generalized muscular weakness associated with ageing.
Subfields: Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation, Physiology
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/085fb04f8f632d56d1168f9ced7d97089a714991
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Citations in the corpus
- The decline in skeletal muscle mass with aging is mainly attributed to a reduction in type II muscle fiber size. (2013, background): “This is in line with previous findings, and likely due to the large inter-individual variability in the response to prolonged resistance type exercise training (Peterson et al., 2010; Verdijk et al., 2010).”
- Dose–Response Relationships of Resistance Training in Healthy Old Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2015, background): “In addition, we were able to extract dose–response relationships for key training variables (i.e., volume, intensity, rest), informing clinicians and practitioners to design effective RTs for muscle strength and morphology.”
- International Exercise Recommendations in Older Adults (ICFSR): Expert Consensus Guidelines (2021, positive): “Indeed, different meta-analyses have shown that resistance training progressing to intensities ranging from 70 and 80% of 1RM promote greater strength gains than progressing to light (i.e., 50% of 1RM) and moderate (i.e., 70% of 1RM) (79, 80).”