Mixed
Resistance training improves handgrip strength in older adults with sarcopenia, with an optimal dose of 3 sessions/week at 49% 1RM, 19 weeks duration, 15 exercises, 16 reps, 6 sets, totaling 1,400 reps/week.
If you are an older adult with sarcopenia, aim for 3 resistance training sessions per week. Use a weight that feels like 49% of your maximum lift (moderate effort). Perform 15 different exercises, doing 6 sets of 16 repetitions for each. Keep your total weekly repetitions around 1,400. Stick to this plan for 19 weeks to see the best improvement in your handgrip strength.
The optimal dose of resistance training to improve handgrip strength in older adults with sarcopenia is 3 times per week (MD = 7.02, 95% CrI [4.62, 9.42]), 49% 1RM (MD = 7.11, 95% CrI [2.69, 11.52]), 19 weeks (MD = 7.87, 95% CrI [3.89, 11.85]), 15 exercises (MD = 8.16, 95% CrI [3.65, 12.66]), 16 reps (MD = 7.62; 95% CrI [4.77, 10.46]), 6 sets (MD = 8.63; 95% CrI [5.06, 12.21]), 1,400 reps/week (MD = 8.45; 95% CrI [5.50, 11.40]).
Why this rating
Systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis of 13 RCTs, though heterogeneity in reporting is noted.
Source
Optimal dose of resistance training to improve handgrip strength in older adults with sarcopenia: a systematic review and Bayesian model-based network meta-analysis
Li Hua-Rui et al. · Frontiers in Physiology · 2025
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