Older people generally lose muscle strength as they age. This reduction in muscle strength and associated weakness means that older people are more likely to have problems carrying out their daily activities and to fall. Progressive resistance training (PRT) is a type of exercise where participants exercise their muscles against some type of resistance that is progressively increased as their strength improves. The exercise is usually conducted two to three times a week at moderate to high intensity by using exercise machines, free weights, or elastic bands.This review sets out to examine if PRT can help to improve physical function and muscle strength in older people.
Evidence from 121 randomised controlled trials (6,700 participants) shows that older people who exercise their muscles against a force or resistance become stronger. They also improve their performance of simple activities such as walking, climbing steps, or standing up from a chair more quickly. The improvement in activities such as getting out of a chair or stair climbing is generally greater than walking speed. Moreover, these strength training exercises also improved older people's physical abilities, including more complex daily activities such as bathing or preparing a meal. PRT also reduced pain in people with osteoarthritis. There was insufficient evidence to comment on the risks of PRT or long term effects.