Movement velocity can be used to estimate the relative load during the bench press and leg press exercises in older women.

Pablo Jorge Marcos-Pardo,Amador García-Ramos,Pedro Jiménez-Reyes,Jorge Miguel González-Hernández,Abraham López-Vivancos

doi:10.7717/peerj.7533

Abstract

BackgroundMovement velocity has been proposed as an effective tool to prescribe the load during resistance training in young healthy adults. This study aimed to elucidate whether movement velocity could also be used to estimate the relative load (i.e., % of the one-repetition maximum (1RM)) in older women.MethodsA total of 22 older women (age = 68.2 ± 3.6 years, bench press 1RM = 22.3 ± 4.7 kg, leg press 1RM = 114.6 ± 15.9 kg) performed an incremental loading test during the free-weight bench press and the leg press exercises on two separate sessions. The mean velocity (MV) was collected with a linear position transducer.ResultsA strong linear relationship between MV and the relative load was observed for the bench press (%1RM = −130.4 MV + 119.3; r2 = 0.827, standard error of the estimate (SEE) = 6.10%1RM, p < 0.001) and leg press exercises (%1RM = −158.3 MV + 131.4; r2 = 0.913, SEE = 5.63%1RM, p < 0.001). No significant differences were observed between the bench press and leg press exercises for the MV attained against light-medium relative loads (≤70%1RM), while the MV associated with heavy loads (≥80%1RM) was significantly higher for the leg press.ConclusionsThese results suggest that the monitoring of MV could be useful to prescribe the loads during resistance training in older women. However, it should be noted that the MV associated with a given %1RM is significantly lower in older women compared to young healthy individuals.

Highlights

Aging is associated with a progressive decrease of muscle mass and a reduced capacity of the muscles to produce strength and power (Aagaard et al, 2010; Guizelini et al, 2018)
No significant differences were observed between the bench press and leg press exercises for the mean velocity (MV) attained against light-medium relative loads ( 70%1RM), while the MV associated with heavy loads (!80%1RM) was significantly higher for the leg press (Table 1)
The between-participant variability for the MV associated with each %1RM was generally higher for the bench press (CV = 15.5 ± 3.5%) compared to the leg press (CV = 8.6 ± 1.0%) (Figs. 2A and 2B)

Summary

Introduction

Aging is associated with a progressive decrease of muscle mass and a reduced capacity of the muscles to produce strength and power (Aagaard et al, 2010; Guizelini et al, 2018). The ability of lower extremity muscles to generate force is a fundamental component for maintaining balance (Li et al, 2018) These changes may increase the risk of falls and. Movement velocity can be used to estimate the relative load during the bench press and leg press exercises in older women. Muscular strength seems to be an extremely important factor associated with the prevention of falls and an increased functional capacity (BalsalobreFernandez et al, 2018) and is effective for improving physical performance and quality of life of older adults (Ramirez-Campillo et al, 2016). Movement velocity has been proposed as an effective tool to prescribe the load during resistance training in young healthy adults. It should be noted that the MV associated with a given %1RM is significantly lower in older women compared to young healthy individuals

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