After doing specific training for 12 weeks, people over the age of 90 improved their strength, power and muscle mass. This was reflected in an increase in their walking speed, a greater capacity to get out of their chairs, an improvement in their balance, a significant reduction in the incidence of falls and a significant improvement in muscle power and mass in the lower limbs. These are some of the outcomes of the study recently published in the Journal of the American Aging Association.
24 people between 91 and 96 participated in the research, eleven of them in the experimental group and 13 in the control group. Two days a week over a 12-week period they did multicomponent training: a program of various exercises designed specifically for them and which combined strength training and balance improving exercises.
As Mikel Izquierdo explained, "the training raised their functional capacity, lowered the risk of falls, and improved muscle power. In addition to the significant increases in the physical capacity of frail elderly people, the study has shown that power training can be perfectly applied to the elderly with frailty."
I believe that what made this study unique and the results so promising is that the exercises were designed specifically for each individual.
What I practice and teach is to evaluate each individual not based upon their age or diagnosis but their functional and address each factor that is limiting them.
I believe that what made this study unique and the results so promising is that the exercises were designed specifically for each individual.
What I practice and teach is to evaluate each individual not based upon their age or diagnosis but their functional and address each factor that is limiting them.
