By David 
Strength training twice a week is recommended, but it does not mean you have to get massive muscles and develop into a bodybuilder. Maintaining muscular strength can be achieved through bodyweight workouts, the use of tiny dumbbells, or the application of resistance bands. However, new research indicates that exercising greater weights may have advantages that persist longer. Nearly 400 physically active individuals with an average age of 71 participated in the study, which was published online June 18, 2024, by BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine. Participants were randomized to one of three groups. For a year, members of the first group engaged in three sessions per week of intense machine-based weightlifting; members of the second group underwent three sessions per week of body-weight and resistance band strength training; the remaining members were instructed to simply carry on with their regular activities.
Participants choose their level of activity after the first year, and their muscular strength was periodically assessed. Those in the other two groups had lost leg strength four years after the trial started, while those who exercised regularly and lifted large weights continued to have strong leg muscles. According to the study, strength training is useful even for older adults. If you want to lift more weight, go slowly at first and think about getting advice from a personal trainer.