This qualitative study explores the long-term impact of the BELL trials weekly group kettlebell training on older adults engagement, community building, and intrinsic motivation. Three years post-trial, participants from the Wednesday Friends group were interviewed to understand how social bonds, shared leadership, adaptability, and health benefits contributed to their sustained participation. Applying the COM-B model and the four Cs model of thematic analysis, findings reveal that social support, resilience, and self-efficacy were central to continued engagement, underscoring key motivators for older adults adherence to group-based exercise. These insights offer healthcare providers data-driven strategies to foster long-term engagement in community exercise programs for older adults.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

This study did not receive any funding

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Bond University Human Research Ethics Committee (BUHREC; [NM03338]) gave ethical approval for this work.

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