Weight training may actually make elderly muscles younger, a new study indicates.

It has been proven that strength, or resistance training, improves muscle strength and function in people of all ages. But new research now indicates that strength training also affects older muscles on the level of gene expression.

After men and women 65 and older underwent six months of strength training, researchers noted the gene expression profile in their muscles showed a more youthful appearance. The subjects were also stronger. Researchers from the Buck Institute for Age Research in Novato, CA, conducted the study.