Overall , home-based resistance exercise  can improve both strength and functional ability , but the improvements are generally small .
The intensity of the exercises might not progress sufficiently enough to produce large improvements in strength as a result of less supervision or a lack of motivation to increase the intensity further
Home-based resistance exercise is commonly used for individuals who might not have access or the ability to use traditional resistance exercise .
However , the extent to which home-based resistance exercise can improve both strength and functional ability has not been investigated in healthy older individuals using a systematic analysis .
Randomized controlled trial of exercise intervention for the prevention of falls in community-dwelling elderly Japanese women
Falls are common in elderly people . Possible consequences include serious injuries and the post-fall syndrome , with functional decline and limitation of physical activity . The present r and omized controlled study sought to clarify the benefits of a combined long-term and home-based fall prevention program for elderly Japanese women . The subjects were individuals aged over 73 years , living at home in a western suburb of Tokyo , who had attended a comprehensive geriatric health check . Persons with a marked decline in the basic activities of daily living ( ADL ) , hemiplegia , or those missing baseline data were excluded . Fifty-two subjects who expressed a wish to participate in the trial were r and omized , 28 to an exercise-intervention group and 24 to a control group .  Baseline data for age , h and grip force , walking speed , total serum cholesterol , serum albumin , basic ADL , visual and auditory impairments , self-rated health , and experience of falls did not differ significantly between the two groups . Beginning from June 2000 , the intervention group attended a 6-month program of fall-prevention exercise classes aim ed at improving leg strength , balance , and walking ability ;  this was supplemented by a home-based exercise program that focused on leg strength . The control group received only a pamphlet and advice on fall prevention . The average rate of attendance at exercise class was 75.3 % ( range , 64 % to 86 % ) . Participants showed significant improvements in t and em walk and functional reach after the intervention program , with enhanced self confidence . At the 8-month follow-up , the proportion of women with falls was 13.6 % ( 3/22 ) in the intervention group and 40.9 % ( 9/22 ) in the control group . At 20 months , the proportion remained unchanged , at 13.6 % in the intervention group , but had increased to 54.5 % ( 12/22 ) in the control group , which showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups ( Fisher ’s exact test ; P = 0.0097 ) . The total number of falls during the 20-month follow-up period was 6 in the intervention group and 17 in the control group . We conclude that a moderate exercise intervention program plus a home-based program significantly decreases the incidence of falls in both the short and the long term , contributing to improved health and quality of life in the elderly
Overall , home-based resistance exercise  can improve both strength and functional ability , but the improvements are generally small .
The intensity of the exercises might not progress sufficiently enough to produce large improvements in strength as a result of less supervision or a lack of motivation to increase the intensity further
Home-based resistance exercise is commonly used for individuals who might not have access or the ability to use traditional resistance exercise .
However , the extent to which home-based resistance exercise can improve both strength and functional ability has not been investigated in healthy older individuals using a systematic analysis .