Leg Workouts Around Retirement Could Keep You Mobile With Age [Video]

Key Takeaways

Heavy weight workouts near retirement can help legs stay strong for yearsPeople working out with heavy weights maintained their leg strength up to four yearsPeople who did body weight exercises and resistance band training lost leg strength

WEDNESDAY, June 19, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Folks nearing retirement shouldn’t skip leg days at the gym, a new study advises.

One year of heavy strength training preserves vital leg strength up to at least four years later, researchers found.

“This study provides evidence that resistance training with heavy loads at retirement age can have long-term effects over several years,” concluded the research team led by Carl-Johan Boraxbekk, a professor of cognitive neuroscience of aging with Umea University in Sweden.

For the study, researchers assigned 369 people at an average of 66 to one of three different groups.

One-third lifted heavy weights three times a week for a year, while another third performed moderate intensity training with body …