Weightlifting makes older women leaner, stronger and more mobile
Lifting at least 50 kilograms twice a week improved older women's muscle mass, mobility and balance
A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Taipei in Taiwan has found that older women, aged 52 to 84, can benefit greatly from a strength-training programme. The programme, which involves lifting a hexagonal barbell with weights on the sides, helps to make the women stronger, leaner, and more mobile. The women participated in two supervised sessions per week, where they performed multiple sets of deadlifts, bending down to lift the barbell to hip level and then lowering it back down.
After 24 weeks, the women in the strength-training group lost fat and gained lean muscle mass around their middles, while also losing fat from their thighs and buttocks. Their maximum deadlift weight increased from an average of 45 to 58 kilograms. The women also demonstrated improved balance and mobility, with better results in standing with their eyes closed and walking longer distances in 6 minutes.
These findings indicate that resistance training, particularly with free weights, can be a highly safe, feasible, and clinically meaningful intervention to counteract age-related functional decline in older females.
Written by urgent.news from New Scientist's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
