Why Lifting Weights Can Be So Potent for Aging Well

A study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports on the emotional impact of lifting weights suggests this regimen could improve motivation and confidence in older adults, reports the New York Times . For the study, 81 men and women between the ages of 65 and 75 agreed to start twice-weekly, supervised, full-body resistance training. Three months later, they were randomly assigned to continue training once, twice, or three times a week, while a separate, untrained cohort were controls. After six months, subjects lifting weights had mostly gained strength and improved various markers of their health, even if they had lifted only once a week. They were then left to continue the regimen on their own. Twelve months after the formal study's conclusion, nearly half the volunteers — rather than 30 percent as originally forecast — were still lifting weights at least once weekly. Subjects whose self-efficacy had climbed significantly during the study tended to maintain the workout.