Abstract
Objectives: To examine the effects of age on functional fitness after six weeks of detraining.
Methods: Elderly subjects, aged 60–86 years, completed a nine week multicomponent exercise training programme. They performed the senior fitness test every two weeks during the six week detraining period, and the responses of 12 young-old subjects (YO, aged 60–73 years) and nine older subjects (O, aged 74–86 years) were compared.
Results: Functional fitness improved during the exercise training period. Performances in the chair stand and six minute walk for the O group had significantly declined compared with post-training values after two weeks of detraining (p<0.01), whereas there were no significant changes in the YO group. Scores on the functional fitness tests declined further between two and four weeks of detraining in both of the groups (p<0.01). In the YO group, there were significant losses in performance on the chair stand, chair sit and reach, and six minute walk tests, and in the O group on the chair stand and up and go tests after six weeks of detraining compared with after four weeks of detraining (p<0.01). The components of functional fitness most affected by detraining were lower extremity flexibility after two and four weeks of detraining, and agility/dynamic balance after six weeks of detraining.
Conclusion: Changes in lower extremity flexibility, up and go, and six minute walk performances in response to six weeks of detraining are affected by age in elderly adults.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (66.5 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Connelly D. M., Vandervoort A. A. Effects of detraining on knee extensor strength and functional mobility in a group of elderly women. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 1997 Dec;26(6):340–346. doi: 10.2519/jospt.1997.26.6.340. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Elliott K. J., Sale C., Cable N. T. Effects of resistance training and detraining on muscle strength and blood lipid profiles in postmenopausal women. Br J Sports Med. 2002 Oct;36(5):340–344. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.36.5.340. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hortobágyi T., Houmard J. A., Stevenson J. R., Fraser D. D., Johns R. A., Israel R. G. The effects of detraining on power athletes. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1993 Aug;25(8):929–935. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Häkkinen K., Alen M., Kallinen M., Newton R. U., Kraemer W. J. Neuromuscular adaptation during prolonged strength training, detraining and re-strength-training in middle-aged and elderly people. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2000 Sep;83(1):51–62. doi: 10.1007/s004210000248. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Ivey F. M., Tracy B. L., Lemmer J. T., NessAiver M., Metter E. J., Fozard J. L., Hurley B. F. Effects of strength training and detraining on muscle quality: age and gender comparisons. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2000 Mar;55(3):B152–B159. doi: 10.1093/gerona/55.3.b152. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lemmer J. T., Hurlbut D. E., Martel G. F., Tracy B. L., Ivey F. M., Metter E. J., Fozard J. L., Fleg J. L., Hurley B. F. Age and gender responses to strength training and detraining. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2000 Aug;32(8):1505–1512. doi: 10.1097/00005768-200008000-00021. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lexell J., Downham D. Y., Larsson Y., Bruhn E., Morsing B. Heavy-resistance training in older Scandinavian men and women: short- and long-term effects on arm and leg muscles. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 1995 Dec;5(6):329–341. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0838.1995.tb00055.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Podsiadlo D., Richardson S. The timed "Up & Go": a test of basic functional mobility for frail elderly persons. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1991 Feb;39(2):142–148. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1991.tb01616.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Sforzo G. A., McManis B. G., Black D., Luniewski D., Scriber K. C. Resilience to exercise detraining in healthy older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1995 Mar;43(3):209–215. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1995.tb07324.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Smith Kelly, Winegard Karen, Hicks Audrey L., McCartney Neil. Two years of resistance training in older men and women: the effects of three years of detraining on the retention of dynamic strength. Can J Appl Physiol. 2003 Jun;28(3):462–474. doi: 10.1139/h03-034. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Taaffe D. R., Marcus R. Dynamic muscle strength alterations to detraining and retraining in elderly men. Clin Physiol. 1997 May;17(3):311–324. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2281.1997.tb00010.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Tinetti M. E., Williams T. F., Mayewski R. Fall risk index for elderly patients based on number of chronic disabilities. Am J Med. 1986 Mar;80(3):429–434. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(86)90717-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Toraman Füsun, Sahin Gülşah. Age responses to multicomponent training programme in older adults. Disabil Rehabil. 2004 Apr 22;26(8):448–454. doi: 10.1080/096382803100001663012. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Toraman N. Füsun, Erman Alparslan, Agyar Evren. Effects of multicomponent training on functional fitness in older adults. J Aging Phys Act. 2004 Oct;12(4):538–553. doi: 10.1123/japa.12.4.538. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]