Issn Print: 0195-9131
Publication Date: 1997/05/01
EFFECTS OF HEAVY RESISTANCE TRAINING ON STAIR CLIMBING POWER IN OLDER ADULTS1443
K. B. Gunter; K. M. Knutzen
Excerpt
A decline in musculoskeletal strength in the elderly is prevalent and closely linked to functional decline. The goal of this project was to determine whether or not participation in a heavy resistance training program would improve measures of power in older adults. Fifty-three subjects, 19 males and 34 females, aged 71.4 ± 6.6 years, completed eight weeks of high intensity resistance training. The program involved performing a series of 12 different exercises, three times each week, with each session lasting roughly one hour. Training intensity began with a load approximately 50% of the one repetition maximum (IRM) in the first week, and progressed to 80% of IRM for the last 4 weeks of training. Maximal capacity was re-tested every two weeks and loads were adjusted accordingly. Improvements in muscular strength ranged from 72.4% to 285.6% (p≤.001). Power was evaluated by measuring the time to ascend a flight of three standard height stairs. Specifically; Power =(Bodyweight × Stair Ht.)/ Time to ascend. Results showed climbing time improved significantly (p ≤.0001) as subjects ascended the stairs an average of 11.13% faster after training. Power improved significantly from 138.25 Nm/s to 158.35 Nm/s (p≤.0001). These data suggest that significant improvements in strength following participation in a heavy resistance training program were sufficient to enhance stair climbing power in this population.
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