Many leaders increase the load of strength training

Singapore – After two shots in 2015 and 2022 that left half of her body immobilized, Ms. Esther Teo could not even stand on her feet for two minutes.

Concerned about being bedridden and inspired by a TV show that featured an 80-year-old man doing deadlifts, Mrs. Theo, 66, searched for and found a manual strength training program. Social service agency Carer Corner Singapore.

Today, he can lift 50 kg, and stand for more than 15 minutes. He is also working hard towards his goal of lifting 70 kg.

with Singapore is aging fastother leaders like Ms. Teo are working on the importance of endurance and strength-based activities to keep frailty at bay, program providers here said.

Mr Tan Leung Boon, Head of Care Systems Integration at the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), said AIC has seen a steady increase in seniors participating in endurance and strength-based activities here over the past few years.

For example, SportSingapore’s (SportSG) Active Health Initiative runs an Age-Related Muscle Loss (CALM) program across 132 Active Aging Centers (AACs).

The eight-week program, which combines assessment, nutrition education and strength training instruction, has reached nearly 4,000 seniors since its launch in September 2024. SportSG said it is expanding CALM to 5,500 leaders in 180 AACs by the end of 2026.

Meanwhile, more than 2,700 people are on the waiting list at 30 Community Gym Tonic sites, with wait times ranging from three to nine months. This is on top of a waiting list of about 1,000 people in 2024.

The program, launched by the Lean Foundation in 2015, offers a 12-week, twice-weekly strength training regimen that uses AI-powered hydraulic gym machines. It currently has more than 3,200 active members, and estimates it will serve 6,300 members by 2026.

AIC’s Mr Tan said AACs shared that the reasons for increased participation in these programs include strong awareness of their benefits and encouragement from colleagues and caregivers. Other senior-friendly options are also offered throughout the island.

For example, NTUC Health will open its seventh high-density gym in 2026. The social enterprise said it sees a 60 percent increase in gym users between 2024 and 2025. Thrive Healthcare, a private physiotherapy provider, similarly said its physiotherapist-led workforce has grown 20 per cent year-on-year.

Care Corner senior health coach Gerald Ang emphasized the importance of motivation, adding that the main challenge he faces is motivating seniors to take the first step in exercise.

“You have to constantly remind them that exercise can improve their quality of life and support their daily activities such as going to the market and carrying groceries,” said Mr Ang, who is Ms Teo’s trainer.

According to Singapore’s physical activity guidelines developed by the Health Promotion Board and Sports SG, adults aged 50 and above should participate in multi-part physical activity that emphasizes strength and functional balance at least three days per week, at moderate or high intensity.

Associate Professor Wei Shiu Liang of Singapore’s Social Sciences Gerontology Program noted that while regular walking is often recommended for seniors to stay active, it has relatively little effect on preventing muscle and bone loss because it does not stimulate enough muscle and bone cells.

He added, the main exercise for the middle-aged and elderly should be strength training, gradually with the training load to reduce or prevent the ability to perform daily active activities.

Professor Wee said such activity is particularly important for women, as they live longer, experience menopause, and face a wider gap between age and health than men.

Beyond the physical benefits, group classes foster community, purpose and belonging, which are equally important to healthy aging, said Thrive Healthcare physiotherapist Linus Foa.

One senior who has made new friends through such a program is retired driver Chung Eng Chong, 79.

Mr Chang, who has high blood pressure and congestive heart failure, has been in Care Corner’s frailty management program since January. Seeing the benefits of exercise, he still moves Around his neighborhood with a weighted bag, an activity known as racking.

On March 28, Mr. Chang and his friends will be among about 550 seniors expected to participate in the Care Corner app for Life Rakathon 2026.

Ms. Sharon Tang, head of the Care Corner Active Aging group, said the funds raised will enable the social service agency to expand its strength training programs, which prevent the elderly from social isolation and social exclusion due to poor physical health.

For Ms. Teo, the benefits of her mobility, confidence and independence are clear.

“Many of my friends have commented that I look and walk better now. I can even show off my ‘little mouse’,” she said.