STRENGTH CHANGES SIX MONTHS AFTER COMPLETION OF A FORMAL RESISTANCE TRAINING PROGRAM FOR OLDER ADULTS.

Abstract

It has been well established that participating in a resistance training program can improve the strength and muscle mass of older adults. However, little is known about the liklihood that they will continue to exercise outside of a research setting and how much change will occur in a six month period. PURPOSE: This study involved a six month follow up to either 40 or 80 weeks of formal resistance training in order to examine potential changes in strength for participants who either continued to exercise in a community based setting or stopped their weight training activities. METHODS: The subjects were 60–70 year old men and women and strenght was measured using Cybex weight training equipment and standardized procedures for one repetition maximum (1RM). Measurements were taken at the end of the 40 or 80 weeks of training and then six months following the conclusion of the formal program. Groups were split by community exercisers and non-exercisers and by gender. The muscle groups measured were the biceps, triceps, lat pull down, military press, two-leg press, knee extension, and knee flexion. Data analysis included paired T-tests (SPSS v10.0) to evaluate potential differences in strength following the six month period of time after the end of the formal training program. A probability level of p < 0.05 was used to determine statistical significance. RESULTS: Of the 90 subjects returning six months after the formal training ceased, 21 men and 32 women continued in a community based resistance exercise program while 12 men and 25 women stopped weight training. The results indicated that both exercisers and non-exercisers had significant declines in overall measures of strength, averaged across the seven muscle groups (−9.8% vs û11.9%, respectively) and that men and women responded in a similar fashion (−10.2% vs û10.2%, respectively). The only muscle groups that appeared to be somewhat resistant to the loss of strength were the lower body measures of leg press and knee flexion. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that unsupervised exercise in a community based setting did not maintain strength gains obtained during the 40 or 80 week formal training program.