PRT results in improvements to muscle strength and some aspects of functional limitation , such as gait speed , in older adults .
However , based on current data , the effect of PRT on physical disability remains unclear .
Further , due to the poor reporting of adverse events in trials , it is difficult to evaluate the risks associated with PRT
BACKGROUND The aim of this systematic review was to quantify the effectiveness of progressive resistance strength training ( PRT ) to reduce  physical disability in older people .
Exercise training in the debilitated aged: strength and functional outcomes.
OBJECTIVE Resistance and endurance training result in gains in fitness in the aged . It is unclear whether the debilitated elderly can perform moderate-intensity training and whether such training results in short-term improvements in strength , endurance , and function in this population . DESIGN R and omized , controlled trial . SETTING S AND PATIENTS Subjects were from a Veterans Affairs nursing home and rehabilitation unit and a community nursing home . They were older than 60 yrs with impairment in at least one physical activity of daily living . Seventy-eight subjects volunteered and 58 ( mean age , 75 yrs ; 9 women , 49 men ) completed the intervention and initial posttest . Only one subject withdrew because of injury or disinterest . INTERVENTION Thrice-weekly resistance training ( using an isokinetic dynamometer ) and twice-weekly endurance training for 4 to 8 weeks . MAIN OUTCOMES Isometric strength in dominant arm and leg , heart rate response to timed endurance test , and activities of daily living score . RESULTS The mean change in isometric strength across the muscle movements tested was 32.8 % in the training group and 10.2 % in the control group ( difference , 22.6 % ; 95 % confidence interval , 6.2 % to 39.0 % ) . No change in heart rate during exercise was seen in the training group . Trained subjects tended to have a greater improvement in functional activity than control subjects , which was statistically significant ( p = .04 ) for those subjects who at enrollment were most dysfunctional ( i.e. , activities of daily living score less than 13 [ maximum score 26 ] ) . CONCLUSION This group of debilitated elderly patients effectively performed resistance training and increased their strength , with the most impaired gaining the most function . Few in the group could effectively perform endurance training
PRT results in improvements to muscle strength and some aspects of functional limitation , such as gait speed , in older adults .
However , based on current data , the effect of PRT on physical disability remains unclear .
Further , due to the poor reporting of adverse events in trials , it is difficult to evaluate the risks associated with PRT
BACKGROUND The aim of this systematic review was to quantify the effectiveness of progressive resistance strength training ( PRT ) to reduce  physical disability in older people .