Abstract
Strength training (ST) increases muscle strength (MS) in the elderly, but results may vary considerably depending on the method of evaluation. Objective: This study compared two MS methods to evaluate an ST program for elderly women. Methods: Sixty-one volunteers (mean age 66.8 ± 5.8 years) underwent ST for 24 weeks to work out the major muscle groups. Knee extensor MS was assessed using one-repetition maximum strength (1RM) and isokinetic dynamometry (60º.s-1) before and after ST. A 2x2 ANOVA was used to compare the methods and MS gains after the ST program. MS increased significantly after ST according to both methods. Increases in MS were in average 16.7% and 54.7% using dynamometry and 1RM. The improvement according to 1RM was significantly (P<0.001) greater than that measured using the isokinetic method. Although values lied within agreement limits, differences between methods (1RM vs. isokinetic) decreased as MS increased at the end of the ST program. ST increases MS in older women, but improvement varies considerably according to the method used to evaluate it. Measurements using 1RM seem to overestimate strength gains and may, thus, affect the potential results of resistance training.
Highlights
Because of increases in life expectancy, strategies to promote health and quality of life among the elderly have to be studied[1]
Findings showed that muscle strength increased significantly after the intervention according to both evaluation methods
Strength increases were 16.7% and 54.7% for isokinetics and 1RM, and the increases evaluated using 1RM were significantly higher (P=0.001) than those measured using isokinetic dynamometry
Summary
Because of increases in life expectancy, strategies to promote health and quality of life among the elderly have to be studied[1]. Previous studies showed that the effects of sarcopenia raise healthcare costs[10], which stresses the importance of avoiding or delaying the loss of strength and muscle mass during ageing. One of the successful strategies in fighting sarcopenia is the regular practice of physical activities[11]. Peterson and Gordon[2] reported that the practice of physical exercises is essential for the elderly because it minimizes the adverse effects of ageing. Goodpaster et al.[11] found that the regular practice of physical activities minimized the loss of strength and the infiltration of fat in the muscles of the elderly. Of all types of physical exercises,, strength training (ST) has been found to be efficient for muscle strength gains among the elderly[12,13,14,15], and it contributes to preserve lean mass and muscle strength[14,15,16]
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