Abstract
BackgroundNo study has performed an exercise intervention that included high-intensity, free-weight, functional resistance training, and assessed frailty status as an inclusion criteria and outcome measure via original, standardized tools, in pre-frail females.ObjectivesDetermine if the intervention strategy is not only feasible and safe, but can also improve frailty status, functional task performance, and muscle strength.DesignPilot, quasi-experimental.SettingCommunity.Participants 20 older-adults with pre-frailty characteristicsIntervention12-weeks (3 days/week, 45–60 minutes/session) of multi-component exercise, inclusive of aerobic, resistance, balance and flexibility exercises. The crux of the program was balance and resistance exercises, the latter utilized high-intensity, free-weight, functional resistance training. The control group maintained their usual care.MeasurementsFeasibility and safety (dropout, adherence, and adverse event)Frailty (Frailty Phenotype, Clinical Frailty Scale, and gait speed)Functional task performance (grip strength and sit-to-stand time); andIsometric and isotonic strength of the knee extensors and elbow flexors.ResultsNo participants dropped out of the intervention or experienced an adverse event, and adherence averaged 88.3%. The exercise group became less frail, whereas the control group became more frail. There was a significant within-group improvement in exercise participants gait speed (p ≤ 0.01, +0.24 m/sec), grip strength (p ≤ 0.01, +3.9 kg), and sit-to-stand time (p ≤ 0.01, -5.0 sec). There was a significant within-group improvement in exercise participants knee extension isometric torque (p ≤ 0.05, +7.4 Nm) and isotonic velocity (p = ≤ 0.01, +37.5 °/sec). Elbow flexion isotonic velocity significantly declined within the control group (p ≤ 0.01, -20.2 °/sec) and demonstrated a significant between-group difference (p ≤ 0.05, 40.73 °/sec) post-intervention.ConclusionsThe intervention strategy appears to be feasible and safe, and may also improve frailty status, functional task performance, and muscle strength. These results help calculate effect size for a future randomized controlled trial.
Highlights
No study has performed an exercise intervention that included high-intensity, freeweight, functional resistance training, and assessed frailty status as an inclusion criteria and outcome measure via original, standardized tools, in pre-frail females
Older females represent a belief that such resistance training exercises are unsafe [20]
Participants of both groups were assessed for frailty status, functional task performance, and muscle strength at week 0 and 13, and the latter two measures were repeated at weeks 5 and 9 for the exercise group (EX) (Figure 1)
Summary
Background: No study has performed an exercise intervention that included high-intensity, freeweight, functional resistance training, and assessed frailty status as an inclusion criteria and outcome measure via original, standardized tools, in pre-frail females. Objectives: Determine if the intervention strategy is feasible and safe, but can improve frailty status, functional task performance, and muscle strength. Conclusions: The intervention strategy appears to be feasible and safe, and may improve frailty status, functional task performance, and muscle strength. These results help calculate effect size for a future randomized controlled trial. There is component exercise (MCE) program, inclusive of high considerable need to identify exercise interventions that would intensity, free-weight, functional resistance training, is improve frailty status in this large and growing cohort; feasible and safe, but can improve frailty status, functional task
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