Building Muscle in your 80s & 90s: What 40 Years of Resistance Training Research Reveals About Aging, Frailty & Function - with Professor Maria Fiatarone Singh

If you’ve ever wondered whether older adults can lift heavy or build muscle after 70, this conversation changes everything.

Professor Maria Fiatarone Singh pioneered resistance training research in frail elderly populations when no one else believed it was possible.

Her 1988 study showing 200% strength gains in nursing home residents aged 80-96 launched four decades of research proving that high-intensity resistance training is the most powerful intervention for healthy aging.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How frail 90-year-olds can safely progress to 80% intensity in just four days

• Why simple leg press and leg extension improved all activities of daily living • The nitrogen-retention benefits of resistance training (opposite of what most believe)

• How weightlifting alone improves VO2 max by 10% without any aerobic training

• Why resistance training is more feasible than walking for frail populations

• The 13-intervention program that reduced post-hip fracture deaths by 85%

• Brain changes from resistance training: growing empathy centers and protecting memory

• Maria's personal training approach at age 71: "the heaviest weight I can actually lift"

This conversation reveals why resistance training should be the foundation of exercise prescription for older adults and chronic disease management.

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