17.3% Increase in Lower Body Strength in 10 Weeks
Greater Gains Observed in Middle-Aged Adults Over 50
Gyeonggi Hanam City (Mayor Lee Hyun-jae) announced on the 27th that the lower body strength of middle-aged and older adults participating in the ‘Active Sling Exercise Class’ improved by an average of 17.3% after 10 weeks of exercise, based on physical fitness tests conducted before and after the exercise.
Hanam City is conducting physical fitness tests before and after exercise for middle-aged and older adults participating in the 'Active Sling Exercise Class.' Photo by Hanam City
The ‘Active Sling Exercise Class’ is a 10-week program using small equipment such as Smovey and sling exercise tools to conduct ▲upper and lower body stability enhancement exercises ▲upper and lower body strength training ▲neuromuscular activation.
Hanam City conducted physical fitness and body composition tests on participants of the Active Sling Exercise Class to measure physical changes before and after participation.
The test results showed that body composition scores remained similar before and after the program, but significant improvements were observed in physical fitness test items (muscle function lower body, flexibility, muscular endurance, balance).
Comparison of physical fitness test items showed improvements as follows: ▲muscle function lower body (lower body strength) from 26.6 kg to 31.2 kg ▲flexibility (sit and reach) from 16.9 cm to 18.9 cm ▲muscular endurance (sit-ups) from 5.9 reps to 8.0 reps ▲balance (one-leg stand with eyes closed) from 7.1 seconds to 7.4 seconds.
Age group comparison test results showed that the 50s group had significantly greater improvements in ‘muscle function lower body,’ ‘flexibility,’ and ‘muscular endurance’ compared to the 40s group, which is interpreted as indicating that physical health can be maintained and muscle mass can increase even after the age of 50.
An official from Hanam City Public Health Center stated, “Decreased leg strength is a strong predictor of elderly mortality, so exercise is essential to prevent musculoskeletal diseases,” and added, “Based on these analysis results, Hanam City will continue to operate the program so that local residents can prepare for a healthy and vibrant old age.”
Meanwhile, Hanam City plans to expand recruitment of participants for the ‘Active Sling Exercise Class’ next year. For detailed information about the exercise, please contact the Health Promotion Team of the Hanam City Public Health Center.
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