Twelve weeks of low-load resistance training at 40% of one-repetition maximum reduces chair stand time by 3–15% and increases habitual gait speed by 2–6% in older adults, without significantly improving maximal gait speed or timed up-and-go performance.

When older adults perform light weight exercises for many repetitions, their muscles get tired over time. To keep pushing, the nervous system turns on more powerful muscle fibers that were not used at first. This makes the muscles stronger at producing force quickly, which helps them stand up from a chair faster and walk at their normal pace more easily. It does not improve their ability to sprint or move rapidly in complex tasks because those require different muscle coordination patterns that this training does not train.