PRT had a large positive effect on strength ( 41 trials , 1955 participants ) , but there was statistical heterogeneity that was not explained by differences in study quality , participant characteristics or the exercise program .
REVIEW ER 'S CONCLUSIONS PRT appears to be an effective intervention to increase strength in older people and has a positive effect on some functional limitations .
However , the effect of this intervention on more substantive outcomes such as measures of disability or HRQOL remains unclear .
BACKGROUND Muscle weakness in old age , is associated with physical disability and an increased risk of falls .
Progressive resistance strength ( PRT ) training exercises ( i.e. movements performed against a specific external force that is regularly increased during training ) are design ed to increase strength in older people .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effect of PRT on measures of physical disability , functional limitation and impairment in older people  , and identify adverse events .
Etiology and modification of gait instability in older adults: a randomized controlled trial of exercise.
Increased gait instability is common in older adults , even in the absence of overt disease . The goal of the present study was to quantitatively investigate the factors that contribute to gait instability and its potential reversibility in functionally impaired older adults . We studied 67 older men and women with functional impairment before and after they participated in a r and omized placebo-controlled , 6-mo multimodal exercise trial .  We found that 1 ) gait instability is multifactorial ; 2 ) stride time variability is strongly associated with functional status and performance-based measures of function that have previously been shown to predict significant clinical outcomes such as morbidity and nursing home admission ; 3 ) neuropsychological status and health-related quality of life play important , independent roles in gait instability ; and 4 ) improvement in physiological capacity is associated with reduced gait instability . Although the etiology of gait instability in older persons with mild-moderate functional impairment is multifactorial , interventions design ed to reduce gait instability may be effective in bringing about a more consistent and more stable walking pattern
PRT had a large positive effect on strength ( 41 trials , 1955 participants ) , but there was statistical heterogeneity that was not explained by differences in study quality , participant characteristics or the exercise program .
REVIEW ER 'S CONCLUSIONS PRT appears to be an effective intervention to increase strength in older people and has a positive effect on some functional limitations .
However , the effect of this intervention on more substantive outcomes such as measures of disability or HRQOL remains unclear .
BACKGROUND Muscle weakness in old age , is associated with physical disability and an increased risk of falls .
Progressive resistance strength ( PRT ) training exercises ( i.e. movements performed against a specific external force that is regularly increased during training ) are design ed to increase strength in older people .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effect of PRT on measures of physical disability , functional limitation and impairment in older people  , and identify adverse events .