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If you're over 60 and have started lifting weights, you've probably been told to take it slowly. Lift steadily, lower steadily, keep it controlled.

This may sound like sensible advice, but lifting slowly isn't always better. While the technique may have an edge when it comes to building strength and muscle, lifting with speed may be the better option if you want to stay fit and keep moving well for years to come.

Most people associate weightlifting with building muscle and strength. But lifting can also build power (how quickly our muscles can produce force). This aspect of fitness fades earlier and faster than strength does as we age.

Part of the reason for this sits inside the muscle itself. Our muscles are made up of two types of fibers: slow-twitch fibers, which are built for endurance, and fast-twitch fibers, which are built for speed and help produce force quickly. While our slow-twitch fibers tend to hold up fairly well with age, our fast-twitch fibers tend to shrink and weaken.

The weakening of these fast-twitch fibers can have a significant impact on daily life as we get older. Even things as simple as climbing stairs or crossing the road before the lights change all benefit from power.

Muscle power may even matter more than strength when it comes to staying mobile. A study of 839 older adults in Italy compared how much power people could produce pushing with one leg with how hard they could push against a fixed resistance.

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