What better way is there to improve balance than to get stronger? Isn't that what improving balance is: Strengthening the musculoskeletal system to support yourself?
This is why the focus on cardio related exercise for the elderly has always confused me. I'd like to see this study done with a basic strength training program instead.
No. Laying on a bench lifting weights does very little for proprioception, especially compared to exercises that have you shifting your weight continuously. It’s a bit hard to put into words, but as a concrete example, you try to step off a curb diagonally, and instead the inside edge of your shoe hits the top of the curb, twisting your ankle out from under you.
The correct reaction is to take all of the weight off that foot, otherwise once you hit the gutter you’re gonna have a bad time. A young person might solve this by hopping forward, to get your legs in front of your center of gravity. Another option is sinking down on the back leg while you draw the twisted ankle and your CG up and back until you can lift the leg and try to place it a second time.
Most of your time in the gym is either isolating a limb or putting symmetric loads on both. That teaches you nothing about not falling.
One failure mode for old people is having their “knee give out”. Having experienced this myself now, I think it has very little to do with strength and more to do with twitchy motor cortex (in my case, possibly due to a prescription medicine). Highly, highly unpleasant. That same weight shifting trick kept me physically safe if not entirely emotionally so.
The general recommendation for most people is to focus on compound functional movement lifts like squats, cleans, and deadlifts. Those absolutely help with balance. Knees and backs give out because they lack the necessary muscular support and stability.
Isolation exercises are mostly a waste of time unless you're targeting specific appearance or sports performance goals. The personal trainers at my gym have their clients lying on a bench less than 20% of session time.
I'd invite you to take a taichi class from a decent teacher and see if you still feel that way in a year. I definitely did not.
> Knees and backs give out because they lack the necessary muscular support and stability.
That is the common way, but not the only way. I was as surprised as anyone. I was literally in a taichi class the first time it happened, and I was nowhere near exhaustion. My knee just went on strike for a 10th of a second. Apparently I'm still mad about it.
There is something medically wrong with your body which probably doesn't generalize to me or most other people. While I'm sure Tai Chi brings certain benefits I prefer to spend my limited exercise time on other higher intensity activities. I can't do everything so I have to prioritize.
> There is something medically wrong with your body
Yeah, there's gonna be some things wrong with your body as you get older. Unless you die by misadventure, one of them will very probably get you killed.
'Injured older adult' is a club we all get invited to, and pharmacology so far seems to be a big exercise in replacing one set of symptoms with a less annoying set. Pharmacology adds all sorts of new dimensions to that (since we mostly play a game of symptom substitutions)
This is why the focus on cardio related exercise for the elderly has always confused me. I'd like to see this study done with a basic strength training program instead.