Weight Lifting in Old Age Does More Than Just Keep Your Muscles Strong - ScienceAlert

New research into weight lifting has revealed two insights: that the practice is able to strengthen the connections between nerves and muscles, and that this strengthening can still happen in the later years of our lives.

According to the study's results, weight training makes the connections between nerves and muscles stronger, protecting the motor neurons in the spinal cord – essential for a well-functioning body.

"Previously, researchers have been unable to prove that weight training can strengthen the connection between the motor neurons and the muscles.

The research involved 38 healthy, elderly men with an average age of 72, who were asked to undertake a 16-week course of fairly intensive weight lifting training involving leg presses, leg extensions, leg curls, and two upper arm exercises.