Effects of aerobic, resistance and balance training in adults with intellectual disabilities.

Ellingsen et al. (2014) split adults with mild-moderate intellectual disability into two groups. One group did three one-hour workouts each week for 14 weeks. Each session mixed brisk walking, resistance bands, and balance drills. The other group kept their normal routine.

Trainers watched heart rate and gave picture cues so everyone could follow along. The team weighed people and tested strength, balance, and heart fitness before and after.

The exercise group got fitter, stronger, and steadier. They also lost weight and lowered their BMI. The no-exercise group did not change.

No injuries happened. Staff said the picture cards made coaching easy.

Diemer et al. (2023) later asked, "Do we need all three parts?" They kept only the resistance portion, pushed it harder, and still saw big strength and body-composition gains. Their results update the 2014 package by showing the strength part alone works well.

Kovačič et al. (2020) kept the balance part and added fall-education classes. Adults in that study had fewer falls than peers who did general sports. This extends the 2014 finding by proving balance training can be turned into a stand-alone safety program.

Ogg-Groenendaal et al. (2014) looked across 20 studies and found any style of exercise cut challenging behavior by about 30 percent. R et al. did not track behavior, so the reviews help you see a bonus benefit you might watch for in your own sessions.

You can run this program with simple bands, hallway space, and picture schedules. Three short sessions per week are enough to see real health gains. If time is tight, borrow from Diemer et al. (2023) and focus on high-effort resistance. If falls are a worry, add the balance-plus-education plan from Kovačič et al. (2020). Either way, adults with ID get stronger, lighter, and safer.