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Exercise intensity influences body composition in healthy older adults (2025)

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Re: Exercise intensity influences body composition in healthy older adults (2025)

#41

Post by lukan »

busymom0 wrote: post #30
lukan wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In a way this is right with high intense/extreme sport. (I did Thai Boxing in my youth, but stopped at some point) But it is very wrong otherwise, joints for example will suffer if not moved. Blood will only flow into all the areas of the joints if they are moved. And if you don't move, your muscles will be gone and without muscles to hold your joints, loss of stability, great risk of injury, etc.

And don't forget benefits of weight training in improving bone density and preventing osteoporosis as we age.

And strengthening the nerves and all the other body parts that degrade with being idle.

Re: Exercise intensity influences body composition in healthy older adults (2025)

#42

Post by criddell »

baxtr wrote: post #10
xtiansimon wrote: post #8

> “High-intensity training reduced fat and maintained lean mass […] though changes were small and not clinically meaningful compared with exercise of lower intensity…” High intensity does border on leading to injury — just making the wrong move — and you’re back to zero intensity?

Really depends on how you define high-intensity. To build muscle, you need to push yourself to a limit. You can reduce the weight and increase the repetitions. This approach is just as effective and lowers the risk of injury.

Maybe with older adults the baseline goal should be to merely maintain or slow the loss of the muscle, mobility, and cardiovascular capacity they already have? It's not realistic for a 50 year old to think they could build muscle year-after-year for the next 30 years.

Re: Exercise intensity influences body composition in healthy older adults (2025)

#43

Post by dgacmu »

faangguyindia wrote: post #7
dgacmu wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, but past recommendations for older adults (note that the average age in the study was 72 years old) were towards "gentle" or moderate exercise. We're seeing a shift now towards recommending real weight lifting and higher intensity as we age. ("Real" -> closer to powerlifting in terms of goals and methods)

why is it powerlifting? general prescription these days for Hypertrophy is 10 sets per muscle group per week 0-3 RIR.

Mostly because functional strength is useful and keeps you alive. major goals as you age are avoiding falls and being able to continue doing things for yourself. Strength fits that bill pretty well (and it also improves fat free mass).

And on a slightly more technical note, recovering from higher volume becomes harder as you age, so focusing on a smaller number (5ish) of reps at higher weight gives you adaptation without quite as much stress.

But I should be clear, when I said real lifting, I don't mean to exclude any form of well calibrated progressive overload, whether that's strength focused or hypertrophy focused. I do mean to exclude the "go to the gym and lift a 10 lb weight the same number of reps each time" BS

Re: Exercise intensity influences body composition in healthy older adults (2025)

#44

Post by hasudon7171 »

I think this results vary depending on whether or not a person exercises regularly. After just six months of training, older adults who do not exercise regularly may see significant changes, but those who exercise regularly are likely to see only minor changes.

Re: Exercise intensity influences body composition in healthy older adults (2025)

#45

Post by vmg12 »

xtiansimon wrote: post #8

> “High-intensity training reduced fat and maintained lean mass […] though changes were small and not clinically meaningful compared with exercise of lower intensity…” High intensity does border on leading to injury — just making the wrong move — and you’re back to zero intensity?

You just need to build back up to high intensity training over time by consistently exercising and pushing yourself. Injury comes from pushing yourself too hard too soon. Unless you are approaching 50 (and even then) you can recover most of your fitness from your early 20s.

Re: Exercise intensity influences body composition in healthy older adults (2025)

#46

Post by alistairSH »

xtiansimon wrote: post #8

> “High-intensity training reduced fat and maintained lean mass […] though changes were small and not clinically meaningful compared with exercise of lower intensity…” High intensity does border on leading to injury — just making the wrong move — and you’re back to zero intensity?

High intensity does border on leading to injury

Where are you getting this? The study was about various intensities of cardio - I didn't see it noted, but I'm guessing the high- and medium-intensity groups were on a treadmill, elliptical, or similar. Pretty small chance of injury for the durations they mention, especially as the subjects were monitored while exercising.

And I'm not really surprised by the study - building lean muscle mass takes resistance training, which wasn't part of the study. The study results appear to be inline with what was common knowledge/experience.

And if you're injuring yourself regularly during weight training or other gym activities, I'd suggest you might hire a good coach/trainer for guidance and programming, because that shouldn't happen either.

Re: Exercise intensity influences body composition in healthy older adults (2025)

#47

Post by wiredfool »

netbioserror wrote: post #28
xtiansimon wrote: post #8

> “High-intensity training reduced fat and maintained lean mass […] though changes were small and not clinically meaningful compared with exercise of lower intensity…” High intensity does border on leading to injury — just making the wrong move — and you’re back to zero intensity?

Calisthenics is a really easy way to push intensity at basically 0 risk of injury. They're all compound and depending on the variation could require high reps, but between push ups, pull-ups, squats, their numerous variations, and accessory work, I would challenge anyone to actually injure themselves while also being able to push to true technical failure.

From my son's experience in calisthenics and looking around at the group he sometimes trains with, there are definitely a lot of overload/overuse injuries, at a range from just needing rest to bicep tears.

Re: Exercise intensity influences body composition in healthy older adults (2025)

#48

Post by Systemerror7A69 »

I think it's important to note that this study, at least to my understanding, compared cardio training - not weightlifting or resistance training. Participants did 3 weekly sessions of either low intensity, moderate treadmill excercise or HIIT ( 4-min @ 85–95%, 3min 60-70% ).

I get the feeling some commenters here are misunderstanding this as a lot of the discussions seems to center about weightlifting.

Additionally from what I understood the biggest difference was that the HIIT group lost less muscle while fat loss was roughly the same.

Re: Exercise intensity influences body composition in healthy older adults (2025)

#49

Post by iamacyborg »

kakacik wrote: post #20
baxtr wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really depends on how you define high-intensity. To build muscle, you need to push yourself to a limit. You can reduce the weight and increase the repetitions. This approach is just as effective and lowers the risk of injury.

This is what I do. When I was beginning with weight training, I followed other's recommendations back then and pushed hard. Had quite often minor issues or injuries in the joints which set me back for weeks or even months, my tendons seem to be my weak spot and it does get worse with age, both limits and recovery. Lowered the load, increased repetitions and basically nothing for a decade. I can still go almost to the…

> Squats or deadlifts are hard even when not at limits, one feels used body parts for a day or two.

That’s just regular ‘ol DOMS and not a problem.

Tendons tend to respond well to both heavy load or high reps, albeit adaptation in either case is very slow.

Re: Exercise intensity influences body composition in healthy older adults (2025)

#50

Post by javier_e06 »

Some move all their lives and keep adapting their movements as their age. Others did not move much through the lives and when they hit 60s and they start loosing the mobility, doctors suggest for them to move more, if anything. If you never hiked and you start hiking in your 60s for health reasons. Pick up short flat trails.
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