Adherence
Resistance exercise (RT), even at low loads and volumes, performed during step reduction protects older adults against muscle atrophy and preserves muscle protein synthesis.
If you are an older adult who is forced to reduce your activity (e.g., due to illness or injury) and cannot walk your usual steps, do not just sit still. Perform low-load resistance exercises (like light leg extensions or curls) 3 times a week. Using light weights (about 30% of your max effort) for 20-25 reps can help protect your muscle mass and keep your muscles ready to grow when you recover.
Following 2-weeks of SR, the leg that performed RT was protected against the SR-induced reduction in postabsorptive and postprandial MPS seen in the non-exercised SR leg... RT was effective at preserving Type I and II fiber cross sectional area
Why this rating
Based on specific human trials (Devries et al.) cited in the review.
Source
The Impact of Step Reduction on Muscle Health in Aging: Protein and Exercise as Countermeasures
Sara Y. Oikawa et al. · Frontiers in Nutrition · 2019
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