Prior to the COVID pandemic, I was going to the YMCA because I am an older person and resistance exercise is extremely effective in preserving function and muscle mass. Progressive resistance exercise training (RET) can increase muscle strength, muscle size and functional capacity in older adults. For instance, individuals in a nursing home from 90 to 99 years old were able to increase their muscle strength, on average, an astounding 174%, their mid-thigh muscle area 9.0%, and their walking speed 48% with 8-weeks of high-intensity progressive RET. “By the start of the 21st century we knew that muscle fiber types of older adults were able to hypertrophy (~30% increase in size with 16 weeks of high-intensity RET), transition their fiber type (from type IIX fibers to IIA), and had the capacity to incorporate new nuclei into the fibers. These adaptations are comparable to what is observed in younger individuals suggesting that the muscle of older adults is not limited in its ability to adapt.” There is now evidence indicating that high-intensity RET, when coupled with other best practice diet and optimal medical treatment, results in lower mortality, nursing home admissions, and disability compared with usual care. Resistance exercise is a critical part of the protocol for patients with cardiovascular and related conditions to support a longer healthy life at lower cost.
This maybe why your Multifunction Cardiogram Test results were great, Bill! Keep up the good work and let’s see where you are the next test session!