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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
Improving Strength, Power, Muscle Aerobic Capacity, and Glucose Tolerance through Short-term Progressive Strength Training Among Elderly People
Published on: July 5, 2017
Strength training improves the tri-digit finger-pinch force control of older adults
Justin W Keogh1, Steve Morrison, Rod Barrett
1Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Division of Sport and Recreation, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand. justin.keogh@aut.ac.nz
Objective:
To investigate the effect of unilateral upper-limb strength training on the finger-pinch force control of older men.
Design:
Pretest and post-test 6-week intervention study.
Setting:
Exercise science research laboratory.
Participants:
Eleven neurologically fit older men (age range, 70-80y).
Intervention:
The strength training group (n=7) trained twice a week for 6 weeks, performing dumbbell bicep curls, wrist flexions, and wrists extensions, while the control group subjects (n=4) maintained their normal activities.
Main Outcome Measures:
Changes in force variability, targeting error, peak power frequency, proportional power, sample entropy, digit force sharing, and coupling relations were assessed during a series of finger-pinch tasks. These tasks involved maintaining a constant or sinusoidal force output at 20% and 40% of each subject's maximum voluntary contraction. All participants performed the finger-pinch tasks with both the preferred and nonpreferred limbs.
Results:
Analysis of covariance for between-group change scores indicated that the strength training group (trained limb) experienced significantly greater reductions in finger-pinch force variability and targeting error, as well as significantly greater increases in finger-pinch force, sample entropy, bicep curl, and wrist flexion strength than did the control group.
Conclusions:
A nonspecific upper-limb strength-training program may improve the finger-pinch force control of older men.
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