Power in the elderly
Most people think of training for muscle power as something that's
only for athletes. However, as you age, peak muscle power declines
more quickly than strength, and there's a link between the loss
of muscle power and disability in older people.
An interesting study comparing the effects of different training
speeds on muscle power in the elderly comes from Dr. Roger Fielding
and a research team from Boston University [1]. Fielding compared
the effects of a high- and low-velocity resistance-training program
on muscle power in a group of elderly women with an average age
of 73.
Subjects were split into two groups, and assigned to either the
high- or low-velocity program. Both groups trained for three times
each week, performing three sets of eight repetitions of the leg
press and knee extension.
Subjects in the high-velocity group were instructed to complete
the concentric (or lifting phase) of each exercise as fast as possible,
maintain full extension for one second, and take two seconds to
return to the starting position. The women in the low-velocity
group followed an identical program, but were told to spend two
seconds on the concentric phase of the movement.
Muscle strength increased to a similar degree in both groups.
However, gains in peak power were more than double in the high-
compared to the low-velocity group.
Peak power is the highest instantaneous power value found over
a given range of motion. A drop in peak power of the muscles in
the legs is linked with disability among older individuals. Peak
power in the ankle, for example, independently predicts the ability
of older women to get out of a chair or climb the stairs [2].
Related Articles
Reference
1. Fielding, R.A., LeBrasseur, N.K., Cuoco, A.,
Bean, J., Mizer, K., & Fiatarone Singh, M.A. (2002). High-velocity
resistance training increases skeletal muscle peak power in older
women. Journal
of the American Geriatric Society, 50, 655-662
2. Suzuki, T., Bean, J.F., & Fielding, R.A. (2001). Muscle
power of the ankle flexors predicts functional performance in community-dwelling
older women. Journal
of the American Geriatric Society, 49, 1161-1167
|
