Low volume, home-based weighted step exercise training can improve lower limb muscle power and functional ability in community-dwelling older women

Key points

1. 01Lower limb peak power improved by 10.2% (absolute) and 10.9% (normalised) after 6 weeks of training (p < 0.05)
2. 02Stair climb time improved by 9.4% and normalised stair climb power by 10.6% (both p < 0.01)
3. 03Knee extensor strength increased 9.2% but this did not reach significance (p = 0.350)
4. 04Chair rise time and 4-m walk time did not significantly change
5. 05Adherence was 97%, suggesting the programme is practical and well-tolerated at home

How it was conducted

Design

Quasi-experimental wait-list cross-over; 6-week control period followed by 6-week intervention

Participants

11 healthy sedentary community-dwelling women aged 65-74 years

Intervention

Home-based weighted vest step exercise: 3 sessions/day, 3 days/week for 6 weeks; 4 sets of 10 step-ups (20 cm step) performed as quickly as possible; load progressively increased up to 7.5% body mass

Primary outcome

Lower limb peak power (modified Wingate anaerobic test)

Secondary outcomes

Knee extensor isometric MVC, stair climb time, stair climb power, 5-rep chair rise, 4-m walk time

What they found

• Absolute peak power: mean change 62.6 W, +10.2%, p = 0.037 (effect size eta-p2 = 0.566)
• Normalised peak power: mean change 0.99 W/kg, +10.9%, p = 0.036 (effect size eta-p2 = 0.550)
• Absolute mean power: mean change 24.4 W, +8.4%, p = 0.238 (not significant)
• Normalised mean power: mean change 0.35 W/kg, +7.9%, p = 0.266 (not significant)
• Stair climb time: mean change -0.45 s, -9.4%, p = 0.002 (effect size eta-p2 = 0.556)
• Normalised stair climb power: mean change +0.44 W/kg, +10.6%, p = 0.004 (effect size eta-p2 = 0.573)
• Absolute stair climb power: mean change +40.15 W, +15%, p = 0.082 (not significant)
• Knee extensor MVC: mean change +9.03 Nm, +9.2%, p = 0.350 (not significant)
• Chair rise time: mean change -0.67 s, -6.5%, p = 0.118 (not significant)
• 4-m walk time: mean change -0.12 s, -3.7%, p = 0.314 (not significant)
• Body mass, resting heart rate, and blood pressure were unchanged

Limitations

• Very small sample (n = 11); the study was powered only for the peak power outcome, so non-significant results on other measures may reflect insufficient power rather than true absence of effect
• All-female, healthy, non-frail, Caucasian sample limits generalisability to broader older adult populations
• A learning effect was observed for the Wingate test and possibly other measures, suggesting insufficient familiarisation for untrained older adults
• Six-week duration is short; longer programmes might reveal larger or more consistent effects across all functional outcomes

Why it matters

For patients

Inactive older women may be able to improve their leg power and stair-climbing ability in just six weeks using a low-cost step and a weighted vest at home, with nearly perfect adherence rates reported.

For clinicians

Weighted step exercise is a time-efficient, low-cost home alternative to gym-based resistance training that produces clinically meaningful gains in lower limb power and stair function, though the very small sample warrants cautious interpretation.

For readers

This small pilot study provides early evidence that even minimal-dose home stepping with a weighted vest can counter age-related muscle power decline, though larger trials are needed to confirm the findings.