Heavy resistance training at retirement age induces 4-year lasting beneficial effects in muscle strength: a long-term follow-up of an RCT.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized controlled trial with 4-year follow-up
PubMed 38911477 · doi:10.1136/bmjsem-2024-001899
What was done
In a parallel-group randomized controlled trial in Denmark (the LISA study), 451 older adults at retirement age were assigned to one of three 1-year interventions: supervised heavy resistance training (HRT), moderate-intensity training (MIT), or a non-exercising control group (CON). Testing occurred at baseline, post-intervention (1 year), and at 2- and 4-year follow-ups. The primary outcome was leg extensor power; secondary outcomes included maximal isometric quadriceps torque (isometric leg strength) and body composition via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).
What was found
At the 4-year follow-up (n=369 analyzed; mean age 71 years, 61% women), a significant group-by-time interaction was observed for isometric leg strength across all four time points (F(6, 1049) = 8.607, p < 0.001, η² = 0.05). Participants in the HRT group maintained baseline performance in isometric leg strength at 4 years (baseline: 149.7 ± 51.5 Nm; 4 years: 151.5 ± 51.1 Nm; t(1050) = 1.005, p = 1.00), while strength decreased in the CON and MIT groups. The abstract reports no numerical values or results for the primary outcome (leg extensor power) or body composition.
Why it matters
One year of supervised heavy resistance training at retirement age preserved isometric leg strength for up to three years post-intervention, whereas moderate-intensity training and standard activity did not prevent age-related strength decline.
Limits
The abstract omits results for the designated primary outcome (leg extensor power) and DXA body composition. There was an 18.2% loss to follow-up over 4 years (451 randomized vs. 369 attending the final assessment). Findings are limited to well-functioning older adults at retirement age, and post-intervention physical activity levels are not detailed in the abstract.
Cited by
- partial A Danish randomized controlled trial in adults over 65 found that one year of heavy resistance training preserved greater strength, lean mass, and cross-sectional area, and resulted in lower visceral fat, four years after baseline (three years post-cessation) compared to control groups.