Alterations in Heart Rate, Blood Lactate Accumulation and Perceived Exertion at Lactate Threshold as a Consequence of Exercise Training in the Elderly

Abstract

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the alterations in heart rate, blood lactate accumulation and perceived exertion (RPE) at lactate threshold (LT) as a consequence of exercise training in elderly. METHODS. Thirty-seven elderly aged>65 yr., served as training group (n=20) and control group (n=17). All participants performed the submaximal bench stepping test before and after the twelve-week intervention in order to determine the metabolic equivalents (METs), heart rate, lactate concentration and RPE at LT. The subjects in the training group performed the bench stepping exercise at LT for 20 minutes or more every day during the intervention. RESULTS. After the intervention, METs and heart rate at LT significantly increased compared with those at baseline level in the training group (p<0.01), whereas neither RPE nor lactate concentration at LT changed significantly. Furthermore the increase of heart rate at LT significantly correlated with the increase of METs at LT or heart rate at LT for baseline level (p<0.01). CONCLUSION. The heart rate at LT may increase in association with the increase of the aerobic capacity especially in individuals with lower fitness level and /or at the beginning of the training program, in contrast to RPE and lactate concentration at LT.