Resistance exercise is any activity where your muscles work against an external resistance.
That resistance can come from:
- Dumbbells
- Weights2Go Weighted Bottles
- Your own body weight
- Resistance bands
- Weight machines
- Kettlebells
- Other forms of external load
The muscles have to produce force against the resistance, which stimulates adaptations in the muscles and nervous system.
So, what are the benefits?
- It Increases Muscle Strength
This is one of the best-established benefits of resistance exercise.
Regular resistance training can increase the amount of force your muscles can produce. This becomes important as we age, because strength tends to decline faster, than muscle mass.
Research has found significant improvements in muscle strength and the rate at which force can be developed in older adults, including people in their 80s.
The encouraging message is that our muscles can continue to respond to resistance exercise well into later life.
- It Helps Maintain Muscle Mass
Resistance exercises provide a stimulus that can help to preserve muscle tissue, and, depending on the programme, increase muscle size.
A 2025 network meta-analysis involving 151 randomised trials and more than 6,300 older adults found improvements in lean body mass, muscle hypertrophy, strength and physical function.
Maintaining muscle provides an important physical reserve, as we age.
- It Can Improve Muscle Power
Strength and power aren’t quite the same thing.
Strength = how much force you can produce.
Power = how quickly you can produce that force.
Resistance training can improve the rate at which force is developed. This is particularly relevant to physical function, especially as we age.
Think about getting up from a chair, climbing stairs or reacting quickly if you lose your balance.
These activities don’t just require strength, they also require you to produce force quickly.
- It Can Improve Everyday Physical Function
Resistance training isn’t only about lifting heavy weights. Research in older adults, has found improvements in measures including:
- Walking. Getting up from a chair. Mobility
- Functional strength & Physical performance
The ability to perform these every day movements comfortably, can contribute to maintaining independence as we get into our later years.
- It Supports Bone Health
Resistance exercise places mechanical load onto the musculoskeletal system, which can provide a stimulus for bone health.
A systematic review and meta-analysis examining resistance training in older adults found positive effects on bone mineral density at the hip and lumbar spine, although the researchers were appropriately cautious about the size and interpretation of the effects.
Resistance exercise is therefore one part of an overall approach, to maintaining musculoskeletal health.
- It Can Help Maintain Physical Independence
Strength isn’t simply about fitness.
Everyday activities such as getting out of a chair, climbing stairs and carrying shopping require repeated force production. Maintaining strength can help us to keep our physical capabilities.
- It May Benefit Quality of Life
The potential benefits aren’t limited to muscles and bones.
A meta-analysis of 21 studies involving 1,610 adults aged 60 and over found that resistance training improved several measures of quality of life.
This suggests that resistance exercises may contribute to both, physical and psychological, wellbeing.
- It Supports Metabolic Health
Muscle is an important site for glucose disposal, which is, in simple terms, muscles use glucose as a source of energy.
Research has found that resistance training can support aspects of metabolic health. For example, a 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis involving people with type 2 diabetes found improvements in glycemic control, including HbA1c.
The exact effects depend on the individual, the exercise programme, and other factors, but resistance exercises can form an important part of an active lifestyle.
It’s Never Too Late to Start
Perhaps one of the most encouraging messages from resistance-training research is that our muscles don’t simply stop responding to exercise when we reach a certain age.
We can continue working on strength and physical function throughout life.
Of course, exercise should be appropriate for your individual circumstances, and it’s important to start gradually, especially if you’re new to resistance training.
Where Does Weights2Go Fit In?
We haven’t scientifically tested our Weights2Go Weighted Sports Bottles for the health benefits described in this article, so we can’t claim that the bottles themselves provide these proven benefits.
What we can say is that Weights2Go is designed to help people incorporate light resistance into activities such as, walking, running, hiking, and other fitness routines, while also carrying their hydration.
Hydrate. Strengthen. Go.
Disclaimer
The information provided in this article, and on this website, is for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace medical advice, diagnosis or treatment from a qualified healthcare professional.
If you experience rapid or unexplained weight loss or weight gain, persistent abdominal swelling or bloating, significant changes in your bowel habits, abdominal pain, or any other symptoms that concern you, please speak to your doctor.
If you are new to exercise, have an existing medical condition, are taking medication, or are unsure whether a particular exercise, diet or weight-loss approach, is suitable for you, speak to your doctor or another appropriately qualified healthcare professional, before starting or changing, your exercise programme.
Research is continually evolving, and individual responses to diet, exercise, sleep and weight loss, can vary considerably.
Research & Further Reading
Guizelini et al. (2018) — Effect of resistance training on muscle strength and rate of force development in healthy older adults
A systematic review and meta-analysis examining resistance training, strength and rate of force development in older adults.
Grgic et al. (2020) — Effects of Resistance Training on Muscle Size and Strength in Very Elderly Adults
A systematic review and meta-analysis examining whether very elderly adults can improve muscle size and strength through resistance training.
Radaelli et al. (2025) — Effects of Resistance Training Volume on Physical Function, Lean Body Mass and Lower-Body Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength in Older Adults
A systematic review and network meta-analysis examining resistance training and outcomes including physical function, lean body mass, hypertrophy and strength.
Massini et al. (2022) — The Effect of Resistance Training on Bone Mineral Density in Older Adults
A systematic review and meta-analysis examining resistance training and bone mineral density in older adults.
Kashi et al. (2023) — Resistance Training and Quality of Life in Older Adults
A systematic review and meta-analysis examining resistance training in relation to quality of life, depression, muscle strength and functional exercise capacity.