AGE (2010) 32:139–153 DOI 10.1007/s11357-010-9141-0
Influence of exercise intensity in older persons with unchanged habitual nutritional intake: skeletal muscle and endocrine adaptations Gladys Leopoldine Onambélé-Pearson & Leigh Breen & Claire E. Stewart
Received: 2 February 2009 / Accepted: 24 March 2010 / Published online: 21 April 2010 # American Aging Association 2010
Abstract Long-term adherence to training programmes is difficult to attain. Yet, the benefits of exercise to general health and well-being are undeniable. Any measure to demonstrate the minimum required exercise for maximal benefit to a person is a promising avenue towards increasing the uptake and adherence to physical activity for the general public. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two different intensities of resistance training in healthy older adults. We hypothesised that compared to high-intensity resistance exercise, relatively low training intensity could also improve in vivo markers of healthy physiologic and endocrine functions in previously sedentary older individuals. Thirty (out of G. L. Onambélé-Pearson (*) : L. Breen : C. E. Stewart Department of Exercise and Sport Science, Manchester Metropolitan University, Hassall Road, Alsager ST7 2HL, UK e-mail:
[email protected] Present Address: L. Breen School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK Present Address: C. E. Stewart Institute for Biomedical Research into Human Movement and Health, Manchester Metropolitan University, John Dalton Building, Manchester, UK
a possible 34 recruited) older adults were randomly assigned to low (LowR, i.e. ∼40% one repetition maximum (1RM)) versus high-resistance training (HighR, i.e. ∼80% 1RM) for 12 weeks. Neither intervention significantly impacted upon body composition markers including: body mass index (BMI), waist/hip ratio and bioelectric impedance. Muscle strength data showed an advantage for the HighR protocol with 51±4% and 22.4±10.2% (P
