title: Comparison of heart-rate and blood-pressure increases during isokinetic eccentric versus isometric exercise in older adults.
abstract: The authors compared heart-rate and blood-pressure responses to typical isometric (ISO) and isokinetic (90 degrees /s) eccentric (ECC) resistance-training protocols in older adults. Twenty healthy older adults (74 +/- 5 years old) performed randomly ordered ISO and isokinetic ECC exercise (3 sets of 10 repetitions) at a target intensity of 100 % of their peak ISO torque value. Heart rate and systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures were recorded continuously, and mean arterial pressure (MAP) and rate-pressure product (RPP) were calculated. ECC peak torque (139 +/- 33 N. m) was significantly greater than ISO peak torque (115 +/- 26 N. m; p <.001). All variables increased significantly (p <.001) during both ISO and ECC exercise. Changes in SBP, DBP, MAP, and RPP were significantly greater during ISO exercise than during ECC exercise (p <.001). Clinically, an isokinetic ECC exercise program enables older adults to work at the same torque output with less cardiovascular stress than ISO exercise.
authors.affiliation: School of Physical Therapy, University of Western Ontario, Lonton, ONT, Canada N6G 1H1.
authors.forename: Deanna L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Huggett
authors.forename: Ian D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.forename: Tom J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Overend
authors.forename: Anthony A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Vandervoort
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007537:Isometric Contraction