Heavy weight workouts near retirement can help legs stay strong for years People working out with heavy weights maintained their leg strength up to four years People who did body weight exercises and resistance band training lost leg strength WEDNESDAY, June 19, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Folks nearing retirement shouldn’t skip leg days at the gym, a new study advises. One year of heavy preserves vital leg strength up to at least four years later, researchers found. “This study provides evidence that resistance training with heavy loads at retirement age can have long-term effects over several years,” concluded the research team led by , a professor of cognitive neuroscience of aging with Umea University in Sweden.
For the study, researchers assigned 369 people at an average of 66 to one of three different groups. One-third lifted heavy weights three times a week for a year, while another third performed moderate intensity training with body weight or resistance bands thrice weekly. The remaining third were encouraged to maintain their usual level of physical activity.
Bone, muscle strength and body fat were measured at the start of the clinical trial, then again after one, two and four years. Leg strength was preserved at the same level in the heavy weights group after four years, but not in the other two groups. Meanwhile, fat levels remained the same in the exercise groups but not in the control group, results show.
All three groups experienced similar decreases in han.
