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Older Adults Can Exercise Just Once
a Week to Maintain Muscle Strength
Exercising just one day a week can give older adults the strength to
maintain their independence and to avoid injuries, according to a
study by a group of scientists at Ball State University, Muncie, IN.
Researchers Scott Trappe, David Williamson, and Michael Godard of the
Human Performance Laboratory at Ball State found that "skeletal muscle
strength gains achieved during a 12-week progressive resistance
training program would be maintained by resistance training once per
week." The study was supported by a grant from the National Institute
on Aging and appears in the April 2002 issue of the Journal of
Gerontology: Biological Sciences.
Preserving muscle strength and size, noted the Ball State researchers,
"has become a critical issue for older adults attempting to maintain
independent living and quality of life." Decline in muscle strength
and size, often referred to as sarcopenia, is commonly associated with
aging, and sarcopenia-related problems such as falls can lead to
injury and rising health care costs.
In the Ball State study, the once-a-week program was implemented for
six months following a three-month progressive resistance training
program. Ten men (older than 70 years) were resistance trained three
days per week and then divided into two groups of five. Six months
later, the five who had returned to a free-living lifestyle with no
regular physical activity after their training had a significant
decline in thigh muscle strength and size. The five who did resistance
training once a week were able to maintain the strength that they had
acquired in the progressive resistance training.
According to Dr. Trappe and his colleagues, their study shows that a
low volume, high-intensity resistance training program can provide
older adults with the necessary strength to lead an independent and
injury-free life. The study has important social implications for time
management and health care costs for the elderly population and the
community.
The Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences <http://biomed.gerontologyjournals.org/>
is a refereed publication of The Gerontological Society of America,
the national organization of professionals in the field of aging.
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