There’s no question that resistance training is key to building muscle mass and promoting mobility as we age, so it’s easy to assume that the more you lift, the better you’ll feel. But recent research suggests that even less-ambitious regimens can make a real difference.
Brad Currier, PhD, and his McMaster University team reviewed 178 studies analyzing the efficacy of various resistance-training prescriptions (RTx). They concluded that those involving higher loads and multiple sets were more effective than regimens that involved no lifting.
They also found data suggesting that similar health benefits may accrue for those who commit as little as an hour a week to resistance training — and that more time and energy spent lifting may actually reap fewer rewards.
“While others attempt to optimize RTx, we propose that, for most adults, regularly engaging in any RTx is more important than training to optimize strength and hypertrophy [muscle growth] outcomes,” Currier writes in a 2023 issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Ken Nosaka, PhD, director of exercise and sports science at Edith Cowan University, reinforced those results earlier this year in the Journal of Sport and Health Science. He concludes that simple eccentric exercises — chair squats, heel drops, and wall pushups — can improve muscle strength and endurance in as little as five minutes a day.
“You can gain strength without feeling as exhausted. So, you get more benefit for less effort,” Nosaka notes in a press release. “That makes eccentric exercise appealing for a wide range of people.”
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