• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About Us
  • STEPS Virtual
  • FAQ
  • Links
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • 615.269.8844

STEPS Fitness

Nashville's Premier Personal Fitness Training Center

  • STEPS Virtual
  • Programs
    • STEPS Fitness Presents Events
    • DR. Irv’s Perfect Exercise Minute
    • Training Packages
    • Group Offerings
    • Corporate Wellness
    • Traveler’s Special
  • Personal Trainers
    • Dr. Irv Rubenstein
  • Testimonials
  • Fitness Blog
    • Dr Irv’s Fitness Blog
    • Exercise of the Month
  • Newsletters
    • Fit Happens
    • Real News Newsletter
  • Search

September 1, 2024 By Irv Rubenstein

REAL News – September 2024

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

REAL News March 2018September 2024

Speedy Squats Suppress Senior’s Sarcopenia

As we’ve reported with increasing frequency, likely as a consequence of the aging of my/the Boomer generation, the loss of muscle mass portends serious declines in function and longevity. This loss is called sarcopenia and only one intervention slows it down: resistance training (RT). (Heavy doses of protein help but does so with greater efficiency in the context of a muscle-building regimen.)

REAL-News --September-20241

But RT comes in 3 basic formats: muscle endurance, muscle strength, and muscle power. The role of each is critical for different aspects of life and recreation, but the difference between safety and frailty in the aged is power – the ability to produce lots of force in a short period of time. It distinguishes one’s ability to prevent a fall, to get up from a chair safely, and to rise from the floor in the event of a fall. The main clinical test of power is one’s ability to transition from a sit-to-stand (STS) as many times as possible in 30-seconds.

From a prospective study of 340 independent-living older adults, it was determined that those who had a significant decline in the Short Physical Performance Battery from 4 years earlier had lower STS velocity at baseline. The authors suggested that free-living power, as gauged by the STS test, “can prevent a future decline in lower-extremity function”. Likewise, “changes in daily STS behavior may be useful in the early detection of functional loss”.

The test, which can be found online, is done with arms crossed, counting the number of complete sit-to-stands in 30 seconds. It is age- and gender-scored. For now, keep working on quadriceps strength, and practice getting up faster.                   

MSSE May 2024

Another Study Shows Benefits of New Weight Loss Meds

Weight loss, an American obsession since the 1960s changed our perceptions of beauty, especially of women, has been met by reasonable and mostly unreasonable diets and drugs. In the past couple of years, drugs that provide semaglutide (SG) by weekly injections, previously prescribed for treating diabetes, have hit the market full on: Ozempic, Wegovy, etc. A previous blog post (https://stepsfitness.com/weight-managements-new-look/) addresses some of the science and ideology behind them but studies are pouring out of the literature that continue to support the science if not the ideology.

Here, a double-blind trial of 1961 non-diabetic adults with a BMI >30 (obese) was allotted to either take one of these meds (SG) or placebo (P), along with lifestyle intervention education. The study lasted 69 months – that’s 5.75 years, so relatively long-term.

The SG group lost 14.9% (on average) while the P group lost 2.4%. More of the SG achieved a 5% or more reduction of weight – considered clinically relevant – than the P: 86.4% vs 31.5%. Too, 69.1% of SG lost 10% or more of their baseline weight vs 12% of P; and 50.5% lost 15% vs 4.9% of the P group.

REAL-News--September-20242

Notably, the SG group had “greater improvement with respect to cardiometabolic risk factors and a greater increase in participant-reported physical functioning from baseline than those who received placebo” with only mild to moderate but short-term adverse events/effects. In other words, SG works well, safely, and effectively.                  

NEJM Feb. 2021

Tid Bits

In a meta-analysis of 22 randomized controlled studies comparing different therapies for rotator cuff injuries (RCI), it was found that motor control programs (focusing on strength and function) reduced disability in the short- and medium-terms better than non-specific exercise programs but did not improve pain in the short-term. It remains unclear as to whether eccentric- and scapula-focused programs are better than non-specific ones.                JOSPT June 2024

 

Mind over matter matters. An Australian study on PT for femoroacetabular impingement (hip joint pain) explored the goals and expectations of patients and the associations between patient expectations and self-reported hip function and kinesiophobia (fear of movement.) Patients described treatment goals and expectations pre-PT. “Negative expectations regarding physiotherapist-led treatment were reported by 68% of partic-ipants. Those with negative expectations reported worse scores for the [pain, symptoms, and social] subscales compared to those with positive expectations.”                                                                                JOSPT June 2024 

 

Tai Chi (TC), a Chinese form of martial arts consisting of slow, body-weight shifting movements with coordinated upper body movements, is an effective exercise for preventing falls in older adults. A recent study attempted to isolate which movements were critical to these purposes. It compared TC-leg exercises (TC-LE; no arm movements) to the 8-form TC (TC-8) and a stretching control. Before and after a 16-week intervention, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed up and go (TUG), and center of pressure (COP) tests were administered. Significant improvements occurred in the BBS and TUG tests, and in the amplitude and speed of COP displacements in multiple directions for the TC groups compared to the stretching group.                                                                                                                        BMC Complement Med Ther. Jan. 2024, reported in LER Apr. 2024

Related Posts:

  • REAL-News --February-2025
    REAL News - February 2025
  • REAL-News--February-2025
    REAL News - February 2025
  • REAL-News --May-2024
    REAL News - May 2024
  • REAL-News--April-2024
    REAL News - April 2024
  • REAL-News--October-2023
    REAL News - October 2023
  • REAL-News -- October-2024
    REAL News - October 2024
  • REAL News – December 2024
    REAL News - December 2024
  • REAL-News --February-20251
    REAL News - September 2022

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Real News Tagged With: balance, frailty, muscle power, physical therapy, rotator cuff, semaglutide, tai chi, weight loss

sidebar

Blog Sidebar

FREE Consultation!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Categories

  • Exercise of the Month
  • Fit Happens
  • Fitness Blog
  • General News
  • Newsletters
  • Real News
  • Trainers

Tags

achieve well-being aging Alzheimer's disease barefoot running body fat bone density burn off excess weight calories cardio cardiovascular childhood obesity covid diabetes diet dieting eating disorders Exercise exercise intensity field of health or exercise science fitness flexibility functional fitness health Heart Health higher risk of obesity lose weight low back pain mental health musculoskeletal improvements obesity osteoarthritis physical activity physically active protein reduce your risk of falling resistance training running Senior Training slows cognitive decline strength training Stretching training weight loss Weight loss vs Exercise gain weight management

Recent News

May 01

REAL News – May 2025

Apr 01

REAL News – April 2025

Mar 18

Fit Happens – Spring 2025

Mar 01

REAL News – March 2025

Feb 01

REAL News – February 2025

Reviews

Search Our Directory

Footer Widget Header

Affiliations

  • american-college-of-sports-medicine
  • american-council-on-exercise
  • biometrics
  • exercise-etc-inc
  • national-strength-and-conditioning-association
  • renewed-support

STEPS Fitness | 2424 21st Ave. S. Suite #100 | Nashville, TN 37212 | 615.269.8844 p

© 2025 Nashville's Premier Personal Fitness Training Center | Designed by Ponder Consulting ®

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok