Muscular strength and physical function in elderly adults 6-18 months after a 12-week resistance exercise program

Aims: Benefits of resistance exercise in elderly people are well documented; however, sustaining these benefits can be difficult and adherence is often poor. Muscular strength and physical function usually decline after a supervised resistance exercise program (REP). We investigated these changes in older adults during an observational follow-up and whether leisure time physical activity (LTPA) or unsupervised resistance exercise (RE) limit these changes. Methods: Subjects (N=236, 73.7 +/- 5.7 years, 58.2% female) had participated in a supervised 12-week REP. Quadriceps strength and timed-up-and-go performance (TUG) at follow-up were compared to values before and after REP. Multivariate statistics were used to predict changes in strength or function. Results: Two hundred and eleven (90.3%) participants completed REP and 149 (63.1%) completed follow-up (11.4 +/- 2.9 months). Quadriceps strength at follow-up decreased significantly compared to after REP (-27N), but was higher than before REP (+30N). TUG did not decrease during follow-up and was better than before REP (-0.9 seconds). LTPA (+38.0N, p<0.001) and RE (+31.6N, p=0.006) predicted strength at follow-up, although they did not completely prevent loss of strength during follow-up. Conclusions: Quadriceps strength declines after a 12-week resistance exercise program in older adults. Neither LTPA nor RE completely prevents loss of quadriceps strength during follow-up, although they limited the loss. TUG did not change during follow-up and was better at follow-up than before the start of the resistance exercise program.