The claimEvidence A · guideline-tier
The elderly can't build strength anymore
The evidence
Fiatarone 1994 NEJM: 87-year-olds gained +174% strength in 8 weeks of progressive PRT. Replicated for 30+ years.
The mechanism, in brief
Fiatarone 1994* *NEJM* is the single most important turning point for resistance training in the very old. The subjects were not healthy seniors — they were frail nursing-home residents with a mean age of 87, multiple chronic diseases, and a history of falls. They were randomized to high-intensity progressive…
Sources (2)
- Fiatarone, M. A., O'Neill, E. F., Ryan, N. D., Clements, K. M., Solares, G. R., Nelson, M. E., et al. (1994). Exercise training and nutritional supplementation for physical frailty in very elderly people. New England Journal of Medicine, 330(25), 1769-1775.
- Liu, C., & Latham, N. K. (2009). Progressive resistance strength training for improving physical function in older adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2009(3), CD002759. 121 RCTs in older adults: progressive RT improves strength (SMD 0.84), gait speed, sit-to-stand, and stair climbing — across frail and healthy elderly.