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. 2024 Jan;43(1):59-68.
doi: 10.1177/07334648231193562. Epub 2023 Sep 12.

"It Makes You Feel Alive and Younger…but It's Stressful …My Back and Legs Ache": A Focus Group Study Encouraging Resistance Training Around Retirement

Rachael Frost  1 , Anna Lowe  2 , Snehal M Pinto Pereira  3
Affiliations

"It Makes You Feel Alive and Younger…but It's Stressful …My Back and Legs Ache": A Focus Group Study Encouraging Resistance Training Around Retirement

Rachael Frost et al. J Appl Gerontol. 2024 Jan.

Abstract

Muscle weakness is a key component of age-related conditions such as sarcopenia and frailty. Resistance training is highly effective at preventing and treating muscle weakness; however, few adults meet recommended levels. Retirement may be a key life-stage to promote resistance training. We carried out a virtual focus group study to explore motivators and barriers to resistance training around the time of retirement, with the aim of determining strategies and messages to increase its uptake. The five focus groups (n = 30) were recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed. We found that resistance training was positively viewed when associated with immediate and long-term health and wellbeing benefits and had a social dimension; but there was a lack of understanding as to what constitutes resistance training, the required intensity level for effects; the role of pain; and the consequences of muscle weakness.

Keywords: exercise; qualitative; resistance training; retirement; sarcopenia.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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