Carla J. Wetzstein

Resistance training and intra-abdominal adipose tissue in older men and women.

PURPOSE Little is known concerning the effects of resistance-exercise training (RT) on older adults intra-abdominal adipose tissue (IAAT). The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of RT on fat distribution in 12 women and 14 men, aged 61-77 yr. METHODS Computed tomography IAAT and abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), densitometry-determined body composition, one-repetition maximum (1-RM), and isometric strength were measured before and after 25 wk of RT. Training consisted of two sets of 10 repetitions at 65-80% of 1-RM, three times each week. RESULTS There were similar increases in strength for both the men and women. Women improved 22% and 38% in the isometric strength test and 1-RM test, respectively, whereas the men improved 21% and 36%, respectively. A significant increase in fat-free mass (FFM) was found for both men and women. However, there was a significant gender x time interaction, which indicated that men increased FFM more than women (2.8 kg vs 1.0 kg, respectively). Similar decreases in fat mass (FM) were found for the men (1.8 kg) and women (1.7 kg). However, women lost a significant amount of IAAT (131 to 116 cm2), whereas the men did not (143 to 152 cm2). Similarly, women also lost a significant amount of SAT (254 to 239 cm2), but men did not (165 to 165 cm2). CONCLUSION Despite similar decreases in FM after a 25-wk RT program, older women lost significant amounts of IAAT and SAT, whereas the older men did not.

High-resistance versus variable-resistance training in older adults

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of high-resistance (HR) training, 3 times.wk(-1) at 80% maximum strength (1RM) with 3 times.wk(-1) variable-resistance (VR) training (once-weekly training at 80%, 65%, and 50% 1RM) in older adults. METHODS The study was a 6-month resistance training intervention conducted in the Birmingham Alabama metropolitan area, and included healthy volunteer men and women over the age of 60. Twenty-eight subjects were assigned randomly to two training groups. Eight volunteers served as controls. Before and after 25 wk of training, body composition was measured by densitometry; strength by isometric tests; and difficulty in performing daily activity tasks (DAT) by measuring heart rate, oxygen uptake, electromyography, and perceived exertion. In addition, 1RM strength was measured every 25 d throughout the 6 months of training. Repeated measures ANOVA and paired t-tests with Bonferroni corrections for additive alpha were used to analyze the data. RESULTS The control group did not significantly change in any study parameter. No significant change in body weight occurred for any group. However, the HR and VR groups increased fat free mass (FFM) similarly (1.8 kg and 1.9 kg, respectively). Both training groups increased strength significantly, without significant differences in change. No significant change in oxygen uptake occurred during DAT. However, there was a significant time effect for heart rate and perceived exertion. Greater decrease in normalized integrated electromyography during the carry task was found in the VR group over the HR and control groups. CONCLUSION Despite similar increases in strength and fat free mass, the VR group decreased difficulty of performing the carry task more than the HR group. These data suggest that larger improvements in DAT may be achieved if frequency of high-resistance training is less than 3 times.wk(-1).

RESISTANCE TRAINING IS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED MOOD IN HEALTHY OLDER ADULTS

This study examined the effects of 24 wk. of resistance training on mood in healthy but sedentary older adults. 28 participants performed resistance training 3 times per week for 24 weeks. No significant differences were found in mood scores between high and variable resistance groups, and there were no significant interactions between resistance and sex or intervention, or among all three factors. For pooled data, significant improvement was found on measures of Confusion, Tension, Anger, and Total Mood Scores, although not for scores for Fatigue, Vigor, and Depression. Sex differences were found on some subscales, but no significant interactions between sex and resistance training. These findings support the effectiveness of resistance training in improving mood in healthy older adults, although further study is needed to control for effect size, as well as cohort, social, and attentional effects.