Pumping Iron: The benefits of strength training for older adults

When Gerontologists at Tufts University in the US selected a group of the frailest residents of a nursing home and put them on a weight-training regimen, the experiment - which was considered quite daring - became a great success. Within a period of 8 weeks, the co-ordination and balance of the residents had improved and wasted muscles had recovered by 300 per cent. Some of the residents, who had previously been unable to walk unaided, even regained their ability to get up and go to the bathroom by themselves, with, presumably, an immeasurable impact in terms of reclaimed dignity, independence and self-esteem. And, what makes this story even more remarkable is the fact that the youngest of the residents was 87 and the oldest 96 years of age!

If you are interested in learning about the potential benefits of weight training for yourself as you get older, you could do worse than to download yourself a free copy of the 126-page book , Growing Stronger: Strength Training for Older Adults, which has been compiled by Tufts University in conjunction with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Get your copy here: http://nutrition.tufts.edu/pdf/research/growingstronger/growing_stronger.pdf