Long-term impact of strength training on muscle strength characteristics in older adults

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83 older adults who participated in a study involving 1 year of strength-training were analyzed to evaluate the long-term (7 year) benefits of strength-training compared to no training, in terms of muscle strength and muscle power. Patients were assessed based on Static strength (STAT), dynamic strength at 60 degrees/second (DYN60), and at 240 degrees/second (DYN240), and speed of movement at 20% maximal load (S20). The results indicated that, despite a significant effect of strength training over the 1 year of training, losses in muscle performance were similar over 7-year follow-up. Static and dynamic muscle strength were higher in the intervention group than the control group, although performance in both groups significantly decreased over follow-up, and the loss per year was similar between groups.