Changes in Cognitive Function after a 14-Week Recreational Resistance Training Program in Older Adults: A Pilot Study

Szymon Lubkowski; Beata Pluta

doi:10.58683/sp.2205

Published : 2026-08-29

Vol. 50 No. 2 (2026)

Changes in Cognitive Function after a 14-Week Recreational Resistance Training Program in Older Adults: A Pilot Study

Szymon Lubkowski

https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7257-4970

Beata Pluta

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1964-7408

DOI: https://doi.org/10.58683/sp.2205

Abstract

This pilot randomized controlled trial examined cognitive changes after 14 weeks of supervised resistance training in recreationally active adults aged over 60 years. Twenty participants were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups (n=10 each). The intervention included two supervised 45-min weekly sessions, with increasing intensity using the Borg CR10 scale. Before and after the intervention cognitive functions were assessed using the Trail Making Test, Stroop Test, and Digit Span Test. Favourable changes occurred across all tests in the intervention group, while no significant within-group changes occurred in the control group. Between-group changes indicated the effectiveness of resistance training for Trail Making Test B, Digit Span, and Stroop A and B, with the TMT and Stroop outcomes considered secondary and exploratory. After baseline adjustment, only the Digit Span effect remained significant. Supervised resistance training may improve selected cognitive outcomes, particularly working memory, in older adults. Larger randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these preliminary findings.

Keywords:

resistance training, cognition, working memory, muscle strength, older adults

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Lubkowski, S., & Pluta, B. (2026). Changes in Cognitive Function after a 14-Week Recreational Resistance Training Program in Older Adults: A Pilot Study. Studia Periegetica, 50(2), 2205. https://doi.org/10.58683/sp.2205

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