title: Misconceptions about strength exercise among older adults.
abstract: The purposes of this study were to determine current opinions of strength exercise among older adults and whether knowledge of recommended protocols differs between strength-exercise participants and nonparticipants. One hundred twenty-nine older adults (77.5 +/- 8.6 years) responded to questions about their opinions, experiences, and knowledge of strength-exercise recommendations. Some misconceptions were identified in the sample, with 48.4% of participants responding "no" to "strength training increases muscle mass," 45% responding "no" to "increasing weight is more important than number of repetitions for building strength," and 37% responding that walking is more effective than lifting weights at building muscle strength. The number of correct responses was related to the number of years in school (semipartial r(2)= .046). More education is needed about the benefits and recommendations to ensure proper use of current strength-exercise protocols among older adults.
authors.affiliation: Musculoskeletal Research Laboratory, Syracuse University, NY 13244, USA.
authors.forename: Todd M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Manini
authors.forename: Marvin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Druger
authors.forename: Lori
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ploutz-Snyder
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014891:Weight Lifting / Q000523:psychology*