scholarly journals Exercise Strategies for Optimizing Aerobic Capacity and Skeletal Muscle Performance in Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 528-528
Author(s):  
Dallin Tavoian ◽  
David Russ ◽  
Brian Clark

Abstract Most older adults do not exercise regularly. Among those who do, the majority only perform one type of exercise, and— as such— are either not getting the benefits of endurance exercise or resistance exercise. The aim of this pilot study was to determine which standalone exercise strategy has the greatest effect on both cardiorespiratory and lower-extremity muscular function in insufficiently active older adults 60 to 75 years of age (N = 14). Participants were randomly assigned to either resistance training (RT, n=5), moderate intensity continuous training on a stationary bicycle (MICT, n=4), or high-intensity interval training on a stationary bicycle (HIIT, n=5) for supervised exercise sessions three times per week for 12 weeks. Maximal oxygen consumption increased a comparable amount in all groups (11.9±11.2% for HIIT vs. 8.0±14.8% for MICT vs 9.8±5.7% for RT). Leg extensor power did not change in the HIIT group (-0.34±5.2%), but increased by 5.2±9.7% in the MICT group and 14.5±26.1% in the RT group. Leg extensor strength decreased by 1.7±22.1% in the HIIT group and 0.6±6.4% in the MICT group, but increased by 27.3±21.2% in the RT group. These findings demonstrate that RT results in improved lower-extremity strength and power, as well as improvements in maximal aerobic capacity comparable to MICT and HIIT in older adults. Thus, RT should be promoted as an essential exercise strategy for older adults, particularly for individuals who are inactive or that are only performing one type of exercise regularly.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 796
Author(s):  
Said Mekari ◽  
Heather F. Neyedli ◽  
Sarah Fraser ◽  
Myles W. O’Brien ◽  
Ricardo Martins ◽  
...  

Introduction: Regular aerobic exercise is associated with better executive function in older adults. It is unclear if high-intensity-interval-training (HIIT) elicits moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) or resistance training (RT). We hypothesized that HIIT would augment executive function more than MICT and RT. Methods: Sixty-nine older adults (age: 68 ± 7 years) performed six weeks (three days/week) of HIIT (2 × 20 min bouts alternating between 15 s intervals at 100% of peak power output (PPO) and passive recovery (0% PPO); n = 24), MICT (34 min at 60% PPO; n = 19), or whole-body RT (eight exercise superior improvements in executive function of older adults than moderate-intensity-continuous-training, 2 × 10 repetitions; n = 26). Cardiorespiratory fitness (i.e., V˙O2max) and executive function were assessed before and after each intervention via a progressive maximal cycle ergometer protocol and the Stroop Task, respectively. Results: The V˙O2max findings revealed a significant group by time interaction (p = 0.001) in which all groups improved following training, but HIIT and MICT improved more than RT. From pre- to post-training, no interaction in the naming condition of the Stroop Task was observed (p > 0.10). However, interaction from pre- to post-training by group was observed, and only the HIIT group exhibited a faster reaction time (from 1250 ± 50 to 1100 ± 50 ms; p < 0.001) in switching (cognitive flexibility). Conclusion: Despite similar improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness, HIIT, but not MICT nor RT, enhanced cognitive flexibility in older adults. Exercise programs should consider using HIIT protocols in an effort to combat cognitive decline in older adults.


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 798-807
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Keating ◽  
Juan Á. Párraga Montilla ◽  
Pedro Á. Latorre Román ◽  
Rafael Moreno del Castillo

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is emerging as a safe and effective means to combat chronic diseases. The objective of this work was to perform a systematic review of the effect of HIIT interventions in an aging population. Three electronic databases were searched for randomized trials comparing the effect of HIIT and moderate-intensity continuous training in older adults. After a thorough screening process, 15 articles were identified as meeting the inclusion criteria. All studies expressed a comparable or superior effect of HIIT in cardiorespiratory fitness measures. No studies reported a lessened effect of HIIT in comparison with moderate-intensity continuous training. This systematic review demonstrates that HIIT is a useful exercise regimen, which can be used in older adults to increase cardiorespiratory fitness. More research is needed to determine the effects of HIIT in an aging, predominately female population.


F1000Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 2254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerome L. Fleg

Although moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) has been the traditional model for aerobic exercise training for over four decades, a growing body of literature has demonstrated equal if not greater improvement in aerobic capacity and similar beneficial effects on body composition, glucose metabolism, blood pressure, and quality of life from high-intensity interval training (HIIT). An advantage of HIIT over MICT is the shorter time required to perform the same amount of energy expenditure. The current brief review summarizes the effects of HIIT on peak aerobic capacity and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy adults and those with various cardiovascular diseases, including coronary artery disease, chronic heart failure, and post heart transplantation.


Author(s):  
Renée Martin-Willett ◽  
Jarrod E. Ellingson ◽  
Jill Fries ◽  
Timothy Helmuth ◽  
Hollis Karoly ◽  
...  

This study utilized a randomized control trial to examine whether structural changes in the precuneus, insula, caudate, hippocampus, and putamen were related to exercise. A total of 197 healthy older adults with no evidence of dementia participated in moderate-intensity interval training or low-intensity continuous training for 16 weeks. Size decreased in the right hippocampus such that the effect of time was significant but the interaction with condition was not. For the left hippocampus, size decreased in the low-intensity continuous training condition but increased in the moderate-intensity continuous training plus interval training condition at the trend level. Finally, there was a significant time-by-condition interaction such that the thickness of the left insula increased for low-intensity continuous training and decreased for moderate-intensity continuous training plus interval training. Few structural changes were associated with the exercise intervention. Future studies should examine the effects of exercise on brain structure in high-risk or clinical populations for a longer period of time.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
D. Tavoian ◽  
D.W. Russ ◽  
T.D. Law ◽  
J.E. Simon ◽  
P.J. Chase ◽  
...  

This Brief Report describes a pilot study of the effect of 12 weeks of stationary bicycle high-intensity interval training, stationary bicycle moderate-intensity continuous training, and resistance training on cardiorespiratory, muscular, and physical function measures in insufficiently-active older adults (N=14; 66.4±3.9 years; 3 male, 11 female). After baseline testing, participants were randomly assigned to one of the exercise groups. High-intensity interval training and moderate-intensity continuous training had small-to-large effect sizes on cardiorespiratory/endurance and physical function measures, but very small effect sizes on muscular measures. Resistance training had small-to-large effect sizes on cardiorespiratory, muscular, and physical function measures. This pilot study should be interpreted cautiously, but findings suggest that resistance exercise may be the most effective of the three studied exercise strategies for older adults as it can induce beneficial adaptations across multiple domains. These effect sizes can be used to determine optimal sample sizes for future investigations.


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