Just 4 Minutes of Daily Strength Training Improves Fitness in Older Adults, Study Finds

A four-minute daily strength-training routine improved several measures of physical function linked to fall risk and independence in adults over 65, according to a study by researchers at Penn State College of Medicine published in PLOS One.

The study randomly assigned 97 participants, with an average age of 74, to either the routine — called FAST 2 (Functional Activity Strength Training) — or to no intervention, over 12 weeks. Before the study, participants reported averaging about 18 minutes of total exercise per week, far below the recommended 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise. The FAST 2 program used four movements — pushups, chair stands, two-arm rows and stair stepping — each done for 30 seconds followed by 30 seconds of rest, using elastic resistance bands and an adjustable-height stepper.

After 12 weeks, participants completed 4.2 more repetitions in a 30-second chair-stand test, increased their one-legged standing time by 3.6 seconds, and reduced the time it took them to rise from a chair by 2.3 seconds.

Participants completed the routine on 81% of study days. In an earlier, smaller study called FAST 1, 24 older adults who did 30 seconds each of pushups and squats daily improved their squat performance over six months.