Key numbers
73
Trials in a review of progressive resistance training in older people
9.8 to 31.6 kg
Range of strength gains across four lifts in adults 50 and older (reported in kilograms)
1.76
Effect size for one-lift leg strength in healthy older adults (large)
What strength changes were reported
A 2010 review of studies in adults aged 50 years or older found strength gains ranging from 9.8 to 31.6 kg across four lifts (the study reported kilograms).
A 2015 review of randomized trials in healthy older adults confirmed that resistance training improved upper and lower body strength and muscle size. The effect on the heaviest weight people could lift once with their legs was large (an effect size of 1.76 across 19 studies). The effect on holding a maximal leg contraction without moving was medium (0.76 across four studies).
What happened to everyday function
Muscle weakness in old age is associated with a decline in physical function. A review of progressive resistance strength training in older people found a large positive effect on strength across 73 trials with 3059 participants.
Measures of functional limitation also improved. Walking speed improved modestly (24 trials, 1179 participants), and getting out of a chair showed a moderate to large effect (11 trials, 384 participants).
Side effects and limits
In studies that defined and tracked them in advance, joint pain and muscle soreness were reported in many trials. Serious adverse events were rare. Because adverse events were not reported well, the review's authors urged caution in applying these exercises to older people with medical conditions.
The authors of the 2010 review called resistance exercise a viable strategy against the general muscle weakness that comes with aging. None of these reviews shows that a particular exercise, amount or program works for everyone or carries no risk, and none of them tested the Systematic assessment.
The evidence
Each cited source is labeled according to how it supports the particular claim on this page. Direct test evidence, underlying-capacity findings and population reference values are distinguished from Systematic-defined protocols and standards. Historical development notes are retained internally rather than presented as public evidence. A study of an underlying capacity is never presented as validation of the Systematic test itself.
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Underlying-capacity evidence New source
Borde et al. (2015). Dose-Response Relationships of Resistance Training in Healthy Old Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.).
What it found. In randomized trials in healthy older adults, resistance training improved upper and lower body strength and muscle size, with a large effect on one-lift leg strength.
What it does not show. It does not show a single dose that works best for everyone, and its muscle-size findings rest on only nine studies.
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Underlying-capacity evidence New source
Peterson et al. (2010). Resistance exercise for muscular strength in older adults: a meta-analysis. Ageing research reviews.
What it found. Adults aged 50 and older gained 9.8 to 31.6 kg across four lifts with resistance exercise.
What it does not show. It does not show that every older adult must train at maximal intensity, or that its results add up to a universal prescription.
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Underlying-capacity evidence New source
Liu et al. (2009). Progressive resistance strength training for improving physical function in older adults. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews.
What it found. Across 73 trials with 3059 older people, progressive resistance training had a large positive effect on strength, with a modest gain in walking speed and a moderate to large effect on getting out of a chair.
What it does not show. Adverse events were not reported well, so it does not show that any exercise, dose or program is effective or risk-free for everyone.
The Systematic Healthspan Assessment is a physical baseline. It is not a diagnosis, and it does not estimate a biological age, a disease risk or a lifespan.