Resistance Exercise Recommendations for Older Adults

Resistance training is beneficial for older adults.

The purpose of resistance training is to develop or maintain muscle strength. Adults naturally lose muscle mass as they age, but resistance exercise for older adults can improve muscle strength and endurance and a person's ability to function.

Government Recommendations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults over age 65 perform resistance exercise or muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week. These exercises should work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms). Possible resistance exercises include lifting weights, using resistance bands, yoga, body-weight exercises (push ups, for example) or digging and shoveling.

Approach to Exercise

When lifting weights, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends that you start with one set of each exercise, using an appropriate weight, and progress to two or three sets of each exercise. The College also recommends a two-to-three minute rest period between sets and exercises.

Expert Insight

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, resistance-training programs need to incorporate progressive weight changes and variation in exercises to provide continual improvements in strength and functional capacity. These changes might involve frequency of training, duration of training, the exercises done for each muscle group, number of sets or number of repetitions.

References

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: How much physical activity do older adults need?
• American College of Sports Medicine: Resistance Training and the Older Adult