Efficacy of resistance training for the prevention of cognitive decline.

Participants allocated to either of the two resistance exercise group will be required to attend 12 weeks of twice a week resistance training of particular prescription (i.e. strength or hypertrophy). Session durations will be 70 minutes for strength training, and 30 minutes for hypertrophy training. The strength protocol will consist of five sets of five repetitions of a weight that can only be lifted maximally for five repetitions (i.e., 5 repetition maximum or 5 RM) followed by three minutes of passive recovery period between each set and exercise. The hypertrophy protocol will consist of three sets of ten repetitions at a 10 RM weight followed by one minute of passive recovery between sets and exercises. Sessions will be conducted by an accredited Exercise Physiologist at the Rehabilitation and Conditioning Laboratory at Murdoch University in small group sessions; however, one-on-one sessions will be common. Participants will perform four exercises per session at the respective RM and repetition range. The chosen exercises are bench press, incline leg press, latissimus dorsi pull-down and leg extension. As per participant tolerance, resistance will be increased from 2.5-5% per week over the intervention. Adherence will be monitored through attendance.