Muscular Strength and Flexibility of Two Female Masters Swimmers in the Eighth Decade of Life

Abstract

Two female masters swimmers, ages 70 and 71, members of the All-American Masters Swim Team were examined for muscular strength and flexibility. Although there is a general lack of comparative data, the data which do exist suggest that the women examined here had greater muscular strength and flexibility than less active women of the same age and were well within the range one would expect for normal women who are considerably younger. These findings indicate that regular physical training may delay the decline in muscular strength that accompanies inactivity during aging and may also offset the age-related decline in flexibility. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1985;6(4):235-237.