Effects of a four-exercise resistance training protocol on functional parameters in sedentary elderly women

BackgroundAging is related to negative changes in muscle strength and consequent impairment in daily activities. A number of studies have demonstrated that resistance training (RT) is promising for disease prevention and rehabilitation in this population. AimsThe objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of a four-exercise RT protocol on the functional parameters of sedentary elderly women. MethodsThe study sample consisted of 29 elderly women (aged 68.4 +/- 5.2 years). Before and after 10 weeks of RT, the following evaluations were performed: 10-m walking, standing up from the sitting position five times, standing up from the sitting position for 30 s, standing up from the ventral decubitus position, standing up from a chair and walking inside the house, and dressing and undress a t-shirt. RT was performed for 10 weeks (2 times per week with a rest interval of 48 h between each session). The protocol consisted of performing leg press at 45 degrees, seated row, leg curl and bench press alternated by segment, performed with a 2-min rest interval between sets and exercises. ResultsSignificant improvements were found for the following tests: 10-m walking (6.5 +/- 1.2 vs. 5.8 +/- 1.1 s; p=0.001), standing up from the sitting position (8.6 +/- 2.3 vs. 6.9 +/- 1.4 s; p=0.001), 30-s chair-stand (19.5 +/- 5.0 vs. 23.8 +/- 5.3 repetitions; p=0.001), dressing and undressing a t-shirt (9.7 +/- 1.8 vs. 9.0 +/- 1.9 s; p=0.025), standing up from the ventral decubitus position (3.6 +/- 1.0 vs. 3.3 +/- 0.9 s; p=0.003) of elderly. Conclusion The four-exercise RT protocol was effective in improving functional parameters in the present study sample.