Relative importance of aerobic versus resistance training for healthy aging

This review focuses on the importance of aerobic and resistance modes of physical activity for healthy aging as supported by newly discovered and previously documented health-related benefits that were reported in 2007. Overall, the studies support the prevailing view that both modes have measurable but often different health benefits. They reassert that the relative contribution of aerobic activity is associated with improvements in symptoms related to pain and depression as well as attenuation in age-related weight gain and that the benefits associated with resistance training are associated with increased functional autonomy and favorable neural adaptations. Both modes are associated with a reduction in chronic disease risk. Data continue to accumulate that a synergistic effect on health outcomes exists when both modes are combined. As such, the preferred exercise paradigm would incorporate both forms of physical activity.