When it comes to resistance training, we’ve written before about how Resistance Is Useful! (Especially As We Get Older).

We’ve talked about how it doesn’t have to involve gyms and big iron clanky things: Resistance Beyond Weights

…and also about how it doesn’t have to be a lot, for example: How Useful Is “Exercise Snacking”, Really?

But how little can we get away with doing?

Small changes, big differences

Researchers (Dr. Smita Dandekar et al.) tested a 4-minute daily home resistance-training program (called “FAST-2”) in 97 otherwise inactive adults aged 65 and older, with existing walking difficulties.

The workout was four exercises performed for 30 seconds each with 30 seconds of rest between exercises:

• pushups
• chair stands
• two-arm rows
• stair stepping

…for a total workout time of about 4 minutes.

And the tests:

❝Functional performance was measured by video using the Five-Times Sit-to-Stand (FTSTS) test, One-Legged Stance Test (OLST) and the 30-second chair stand test at baseline and at weeks 6 and 12.❞

What they found: compared with controls, the exercise group…

• improved in the 30-second chair stand test by 4.2 repetitions
• increased one-leg standing balance by 3.6 seconds
• reduced five-times sit-to-stand time by 2.3 seconds

…all of which is good, and in terms of safety, no significant adverse events were reported during the trial. And adherence was 81% (i.e., they did it 81% of the time that they were supposed to), which means a) it was relatively easy to do and b) if they didn’t, 81% was already good enough to see significant improvements.

By the way, if you’re wondering “how did they improve by 4.2 additional repetitions, surely repetitions are discrete integers?”, and yes they are, but the numbers above are mean averages from the exercise group, hence 4.2 (in fact, it was 4.22, even).

In short, all this means is that for people over 65 who currently do little exercise, a very short daily resistance-training routine can substantially improve lower-body function, balance, and mobility, and may be easier to maintain than traditional exercise programs.

You can read the paper in its entirety, here: Brief daily functional strength training to improve functional performance in older adults with mobility disability: A randomized trial

Fun fact: our attention was brought to this study by this pop-science article: Four minutes of daily resistance training can quadruple fitness in older adults

…which is a fascinating headline, because despite that article having been written by one named person, edited by a second named person, and reviewed by a third named person, it would appear that nobody in this whole process said:

“Hey, an increase of 4.22 repetitions*, having gone from from 9.5 reps to 13.72, did not “quadruple” their fitness because 4 x 9.5 ≠ 13.72″

^{*And that was the most likely faulty source of the “can quadruple fitness” claim, or at least, if it wasn’t that, then we can’t find any more credible mistake than misunderstanding +4 as x4}

In other words, remember: How Science News Outlets Can Lie To You (Yes, Even If They Cite Studies!)

And, for that matter: How To Know Whom To Trust In The Health World

Want to learn more?

You might like this very good book that we reviewed:

Strong Women Stay Young – by Dr. Miriam Nelson with Dr. Sarah Wernick

Take care!