Study Suggests High-Intensity Exercise Slows Fitness Decline in Older Adults
A reanalysis of the Generation 100 study, published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, indicates that older adults who consistently engage in high-intensity training (HIT) experience a slower decline in aerobic fitness compared to those performing moderate-intensity training (MIT). The original study, which involved participants aged 70 to 77 in Trondheim, Norway, initially randomized individuals into groups following public health guidelines, or supervised moderate or intense exercise sessions over five years. The reanalysis focused on what participants actually did, as reported in exercise questionnaires, selecting 500 individuals who consistently performed either moderate or high-intensity exercise. While all participants in their 70s experienced some fitness loss, the high-intensity group showed a significantly reduced rate of decline in VO2 max. Specifically, after five years, the HIT group was 3.1 percent lower than baseline, whereas the MIT group was 7.7 percent lower. For women in the HIT ... 
