Strength Training Improves Quality of Life

Previously, a number of studies have reported that strength training can prevent or reduce muscle loss in older men and women. Researchers from the University of Tras-os-Montes e Alto Douro (Portugal) and the Federal University of Rio Grande del Sur (Brazil) report that 12 weeks of strength training is highly effective for improving functional capacity, as well as for enhancing quality of life. The researchers observed that such a four-month long regimen helps older men and women to regain muscle strength and mass, potentially restoring the functional capacity to perform as well as people who are 20 years their junior. The team’s study of 56 older women demonstrated that high-speed power training significantly increased dynamic and isometric strength performance, as well as muscle power and function. Their separate study of 26 older men showed that endurance training increased muscle workload capacity and maximum aerobic workload . Across both studies, the team submits that regular physical exercise from the age of 50 onwards "is a cornerstone in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and other chronic diseases; [it] plays a crucial role in preventing and treating the decline in functional capacity. In this context, strength training may be effective in delaying disability, thereby improving quality of life as we age.