Ching Lan

12-month Tai Chi training in the elderly: its effect on health fitness.

PURPOSE The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) on health fitness in older individuals. METHODS Thirty-eight community-dwelling persons aged 58 to 70 yr completed this study. The TCC group included 9 men and 11 women; the control group included 9 men and 9 women. The TCC group practiced TCC for 11.2+/-1.4 months, with the attendance of 4.6+/-1.3 times x wk(-1). Each session included 20 min of warm-up, 24 min of TCC practice, and 10 min of cooldown. The exercise intensity was 52-63% of the heart rate range. Cardiorespiratory function, strength, flexibility, and percent of body fat were evaluated before and at the end of this study. RESULTS The male TCC group showed 16.1% increase in VO2max (P < 0.01), 11 degrees increase in thoracic/lumbar flexibility (P < 0.05), 18.1% increase in muscle strength of knee extensor (P < 0.01), and 15.4% increase of knee flexor (P < 0.05). The female TCC group showed 21.3% increase in VO2max (P < 0.01), 8.8 degrees increase in flexibility (P < 0.05), 20.3% increase in muscle strength of knee extensor (P < 0.05), and 15.9% increase of knee flexor (P < 0.05). The control group showed no significant change in these variables. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that a 12-month Tai Chi Chuan program is effective for improving health fitness of the elderly.

Cardiorespiratory function, flexibility, and body composition among geriatric Tai Chi Chuan practitioners.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the health-related fitness of geriatric Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) practitioners. DESIGN Case-control study of a TCC group and a group of sedentary controls. SETTING Research project at a hospital-based exercise physiology laboratory. PARTICIPANTS Seventy-six community-dwelling senior persons (mean age 69.3 +/- 3.9 yr), a TCC group that included 22 men and 19 women and a control group of sedentary subjects that included 18 men and 17 women with matched age and body size. INTERVENTION The TCC group had practiced TCC regularly for 11.8 +/- 5.6 years, with an exercise frequency of 4.3 +/- 1.3 times per week. Each session included 20 minutes of warm-up, 24 minutes of TCC training, and 10 minutes of cool-down. Exercise intensity was estimated to exceed 70% of maximal heart rate (HRmax). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Breath-by-breath measurement of cardiorespiratory function was obtained during the incremental exercise of leg cycling. Flexibility of thoracic/lumbar spine was measured by an electronic inclinometer. Percentages of body fat was calculated from biceps and subcapsular skinfolds. RESULTS In the peak exercise, men in the TCC group showed 19% higher peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) in comparison with their sedentary counterparts (26.9 +/- 4.7 mL/kg/min vs 21.8 +/- 3.1 mL/kg/min). Women in the TCC group also showed 18% higher VO2peak than in the sedentary group (20.1 +/- 2.9 mL/kg/ min vs 16.5 +/- 2.0 mL/kg/min). The TCC group also showed higher oxygen uptake at the ventilatory threshold. In addition, the TCC practitioners were characterized by greater flexibility and lower percentage of body fat in comparison with their sedentary counterparts. CONCLUSION It is concluded that TCC training has benefits for health-related fitness, and it may be prescribed as a suitable conditioning exercise for the elderly.

Tai Chi Chuan to improve muscular strength and endurance in elderly individuals: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the training effect of a Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) program on knee extensor muscular strength and endurance in elderly individuals. DESIGN Before-after trial. SETTING Community setting. PARTICIPANTS Forty-one community dwelling subjects aged 61.1 +/- 9.8 years undertook a TCC program. Nine dropped out during the study. Pretraining and posttraining measurements were obtained from 15 men and 17 women. INTERVENTION Subjects participated in a 6-month TCC program. Each session consisted of 20 minutes of warm-up, 24 minutes of structured TCC training, and 10 minutes of cool-down exercises. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Peak torque of dominant and nondominant knee extensors was tested at speeds of 60 degrees , 180 degrees , and 240 degrees/sec concentrically and eccentrically. Muscular endurance of the knee extensor was tested at the speed of 180 degrees /sec. RESULTS In the group of men, concentric knee extensor peak torque increased by 15.1% to 20.0% and eccentric peak torque increased by 15.1% to 23.7%. The group of women also showed increases, ranging from 13.5% to 21.8% in concentric peak torque, and 18.3% to 23.8% in eccentric peak torque. In addition, the knee extensor endurance ratio increased by 9.6% to 18.8% in the men and 10.1% to 14.6% in the women. CONCLUSION TCC training may enhance muscular strength and endurance of knee extensors in elderly individuals.

Tai Chi Chuan: an ancient wisdom on exercise and health promotion

AbstractTai chi chuan (TCC) is a Chinese conditioning exercise and is well known for its slow and graceful movements. Recent investigations have found that TCC is beneficial to cardiorespiratory function, strength, balance, flexibility, microcirculation and psychological profile. The long-term practice of TCC can attenuate the age decline in physical function, and consequently it is a suitable exercise for the middle-aged and elderly individuals. TCC can be prescribed as an alternative exercise programme for selected patients with cardiovascular, orthopaedic, or neurological diseases, and can reduce the risk of falls in elderly individuals. The exercise intensity of TCC depends on training style, posture and duration. Participants can choose to perform a complete set of TCC or selected movements according to their needs. In conclusion, TCC has potential benefits in health promotion, and is appropriate for implementation in the community.

Two-Year Trends in Cardiorespiratory Function Among Older Tai Chi Chuan Practitioners and Sedentary Subjects

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the training effects of Chinese shadow boxing, Tai Chi Chuan (TCC), on the maintenance of cardiorespiratory function in older individuals.

The effect of Tai Chi on cardiorespiratory function in patients with coronary artery bypass surgery.

PURPOSE This study prospectively evaluated the training effect of a 1-yr Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) program for low-risk patients with coronary artery bypass surgery (CABS) after a postoperative outpatient (phase II) cardiac rehabilitation program. METHODS Twenty patients with mean age of 56.5+/-7.4 yr completed this study. The TCC group included nine men who practiced classical Yang TCC with an exercise intensity of 48-57% heart rate range (HRR). The control group included 11 men whom were recommended to do a home-based self-adjusted exercise program with similar intensity of phase II cardiac rehabilitation. Graded exercise tests were performed before and after 1 yr of training for all subjects. RESULTS Mean attendance of the TCC group was 3.8+/-1.5 times weekly in contrast to 1.7+/-1.1 times for the control group. During the follow-up examination, the TCC group increased 10.3% in VO2peak (from 26.2+/-4.4 to 28.9+/-5.0 mL x kg(-1) min(-1), P<0.01) and increased 11.9% in peak work rate (from 135+/-26 W to 151+/-28 W, P<0.01). However, the control group showed slight decrease in VO2peak from 26.0+/-3.9 to 25.6+/-4.6 mL x kg(-1) x min(-1) and in peak work rate from 131+/-23 W to 128+/-32 W. At the ventilatory threshold, the TCC group also showed significant increase in VO2 and work rate (P<0.05). The control group did not significantly change in these variables. CONCLUSIONS The study demonstrated that a 1-yr TCC program for low-risk patients with CABS could favorably enhance cardiorespiratory function.

The aerobic capacity and ventilatory efficiency during exercise in Qigong and Tai Chi Chuan practitioners.

The objective of this study was to compare cardiorespiratory responses to exercise among older Qigong participants, Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) practitioners and normal sedentary controls during cycle ergometry. Thirty-six community-dwelling men with a mean age of 59.1 +/- 6.6 years participated in this study. Each group (Qigong, TCC and control) included 12 subjects with matched age and body size. The Qigong group practiced Qigong regularly for 2.3 +/- 1.5 years; the TCC group practiced Yang TCC for 4.7 +/- 2.3 years. Heart rate (HR) responses were measured during the practice of Qigong and TCC. Additionally, breath-by-breath measurement of cardiorespiratory function was performed during the incremental exercise of leg cycling. The mean HR during Qigong and TCC practice was 91 +/- 5 bpm and 129 +/- 7 bpm, respectively. At the peak exercise and the ventilatory threshold (VeT), TCC group displayed highest oxygen uptake (VO2), O2 pulse and work rate among the three groups. The Qigong group also showed higher oxygen uptake and O2 pulse than the control group. At the same relative exercise intensity, the Qigong group had the highest tidal volume among the three groups. In conclusion, Qigong and TCC show a beneficial effect to aerobic capacity in older individuals, but TCC displays a better training effect than Qigong due to its higher exercise intensity. However, Qigong can enhance breathing efficiency during exercise due to the training effect of diaphragmatic breathing.

Heart Rate Responses and Oxygen Consumption during Tai Chi Chuan Practice

Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) is a popular Chinese conditioning exercise, however, its exercise intensity remains controversial. The objective of this study was to determine the exercise intensity of Yang TCC by measuring heart rate (HR) responses and oxygen consumption (VO2) during practice. Fifteen men aged 39.9 +/- 9.5 yrs (range 26-56 yrs) participated in this study. Subjects had practiced classical Yang TCC for 5.8 +/- 2.4 years. HR responses and VO2 were measured during practice of TCC by using a K4 telemetry system. Blood lactate was measured before and immediately after TCC practice. Additionally, breath-by-breath measurement of cardiorespiratory function and sequential determination of blood lactate were performed during the incremental exercise of leg cycling. Measurements obtained during the TCC practice and exercise testing were compared to determine the exercise intensity of TCC. While performing TCC, the mean HR of subjects was 140 +/- 10 bpm, and the mean VO2 was 21.4 +/- 1.5 mL x kg(-1) min(-1). Compared with the data of the exercise test, the HR during practice was 58% of the heart rate range. Meanwhile, the VO2 during TCC practice was 55% of the VO2peak. Additionally, the level of blood lactate immediately after TCC practice was 3.8 mM, which reflected the level of lactate during TCC, approximated the onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA). The results demonstrate that TCC is an exercise with moderate intensity, and is aerobic in nature.

Tai Chi Chuan Training is Associated with Enhanced Endothelium‐Dependent Dilation in Skin Vasculature of Healthy Older Men

OBJECTIVES: The vascular endothelium modulates vascular tone by synthesizing and metabolizing vasoactive substances. Endothelium‐dependent vasodilation declines with age. This study investigated whether Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) training could enhance endothelial function in the skin vasculature of older men.

The exercise intensity of Tai Chi Chuan.

Tai Chi Chuan (TC) is a Chinese conditioning exercise and is well-known for its graceful movement. The exercise intensity of TC depends on its training style, posture and duration. Variation in training approaches result in substantial differences in exercise intensity. We have measured heart rate (HR) and oxygen uptake (VO2) simultaneously during classical Yang TC practice in 15 male subjects, their heart rate (HR) during TC practice was 58% of the heart rate reserve (HRR), and oxygen uptake (VO2) was 55% of the peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak). The level of blood lactate immediately after TC practice was 3.8mM, which reflected the level of lactate during TC approximated the onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA). In order to evaluate the relative exercise intensity of classical Yang TC, we measured HR responses during TC practice in 100 subjects with age of 25-80 yrs (M/F: 54/46). They were separated into three groups: young (25-44 y/o), middle-aged (45-64 y/o) and elderly (65-80 y/o). During the TC practice, the mean HR of men was 141 +/- 12, 132 +/- 9 and 120 +/- 10 bpm in the young, middle-aged and elderly groups, respectively. Meanwhile, the mean HR of women was 136 +/- 10, 126 +/- 11 and 115 +/- 12 bpm in the young, middle-aged and elderly groups, respectively. Men practiced TC with mean HR corresponding to 57.8 +/- 3.7, 56.6 +/- 3.4 and 55.1 +/- 3.1% of heart rate reserve (HRR) in the three groups; while that of women corresponding to 52.7 +/- 2.8, 51.5 +/- 2.6, and 50.3 +/- 2.9% of HRR in the three age groups. The results demonstrate that classical Yang TC is an exercise with moderate intensity, and its exercise intensity is similar across different ages in each gender.