Research has focussed on the development and testing of novel approaches to exercise training for older people, which has a high potential to offer a particular, novel contribution to both the prevention of health and the care of patients. Elements of training methods currently used by elite athletes have been adapted and explored for the contribution which they can make to the exercise programmes for older people. In addition, underlying physiological mechanisms have been studied by the use of both novel and established methods currently used in exercise physiology and biomechanics laboratories. An extensive review paper (Macaluso A, De Vito G (2004) Muscle strength, power and adaptations to resistance training in older people Eur J Appl Physiol 91(4): 450-472) marks the recognition of Macaluso's work, in addition to the invitation to give a Keynote Lecture at the Plenary Session of the 10th Annual Meeting of the European College of Sport Science (Belgrade, July 2005), about an overview on Human Performance and Ageing (entitled "Muscle power and functional mobility in older people: novel exercise protocols and mechanisms of adaptation").