What is it about?
This study implemented a block-based training program to help older community-dwelling women recover their functional performance. The intervention targeted three common effects of aging: loss of strength, speed, and endurance. Each training block focused on one of these capacities, without requiring excessive effort. By the end of the program, participants showed significant improvements in key physical performance tests, unlike those who only followed general activity recommendations.
Featured Image
Photo by Age Cymru on Unsplash
Why is it important?
This study shows that it is possible to improve functional performance in older women without training to exhaustion. Its novelty lies in the use of a block-based approach, where each phase targets a specific functional consequence of aging: strength, speed, and endurance. This structure allows for a safe, well-dosed, and effective intervention, leading to measurable improvements in key physical tests. It opens new possibilities for prescribing exercise in a more precise and age-adapted way for older populations.
Perspectives
Working on this article was especially meaningful to me, as it reflects years of work around the idea that exercise can—and should—be purposefully programmed for older adults. Seeing concrete functional improvements in community-dwelling women, without the need for physical exhaustion, reinforces the value of structured training even outside of athletic contexts. I hope this study encourages others to explore interventions that more precisely address the functional needs associated with the aging process.
Dr. EMILIO Jofré-Saldía
Universidad San Sebastián
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Block strength training based on age-related functional consequences in older women, PLOS One, May 2025, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0323501.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
