The effect of age on the power/duration relationship and the intensity-domain limits in sedentary men.
The time to fatigue (t) in response to high-intensity constant-load exercise decreases hyperbolically with increasing power (W), at least in active and younger individuals [i.e. (W - thetaF)t = W', where thetaF is the critical power asymptote and W' is the curvature constant]. Little is known, however, about the combined effects of age and sedentarity on these parameters. We therefore evaluated 17 non-trained males (9 aged 60-75 years and 8 aged below 30 years) who underwent ramp-incremental cycle ergometry and, on different days, 4 high-intensity constant-load tests to t. Compared to their younger counterparts, the older subjects presented significantly lower maximum oxygen uptake (i.e. the maximum value of oxygen uptake attained at the end of a progressive exercise with the subject exerting a presumably maximal effort, muVO2), estimated lactate threshold (VO2thetaL), VO2thetaF, and W' (P < 0.05). Interestingly, however, both VO2thetaL and VO2thetaF, when expressed as a percentage of muVO2, were higher in older than in younger men [61.8 (6.2)% versus 45.4 (4.6)% and 87.8 (7.3)% versus 79.0 (8.2)%, P < 0.05, respectively]. Therefore, age was associated with an increase in the relative magnitude of the "moderate", sub-thetaL exercise-intensity domain (+30.4%), mainly at the expense of the "very-heavy", supra-thetaF domain (-56%). Our results demonstrate that age and sedentarity are associated with: (1) marked reductions in both the aerobic (thetaF) and anaerobic (W') determinants of the W/t relationship, and (2) changes in either the absolute or relative magnitudes of the exercise-intensity domains. These findings are consistent with the notion that endurance-related parameters are less diminished with ageing than the maximal capacity, thereby mitigating the deleterious effects of senescence in the functional capacity.
Neder
J A
JA
Centre for Exercise Science and Medicine, Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK.
Jones
P W
PW
Nery
L E
LE
Whipp
B J
BJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010807:Physical Endurance
D019344:Lactic Acid