Effects of a four-month strength training program on blood pressure in older adults.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a 4-month strength training program on strength and blood pressure (BP) in older adults. The training protocol for the 43 experimental subjects (ES) (age 72.1, Sd 5.5 yr; Wt 72.4, Sd 12.3 kg; BMI 26.3, Sd 3.4) consisted of 8-12 reps at each of 50, 60 and 70% of their one repetition maximum (1RM), three days a week, for 16 weeks. The subjects trained on five upper extremity, three trunk, and three lower extremity muscle groups. They were evaluated for 1RM initially, after 3, 5, 7, 12, and 16 weeks of training. Daily systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP) and mean arterial blood pressures (MABP) were averaged to produce BP values for baseline, weeks 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, and 16. Eighteen comparison subjects (age 71.8, Sd 4.6 yr--(CS)) were evaluated for strength and BP before and after the 4-month intervention period. The data were evaluated for differences by ANOVA, Scheffe' HSD tests and Pearson correlation coefficients. Baseline and 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, and 16 week BPs were evaluated for changes over time and relationships with trunk, upper, and lower extremity strength measurements for the ES. Following training, there was an overall increase in strength of 45% and each segment increased significantly (p<0.05). Systolic blood pressure remained unchanged, while MABP and DBP decreased 2.4 and 3 mmHg, respectively. Strength and BP shared significant, but moderate relationships before and after the training intervention. These results show that moderate intensity strength training greatly improved strength in older adults and had no adverse affect on BP responses.
Rehabilitation Research & Development Center, Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA 30033, USA.
L J
LJ
Brandon
B F
BF
Sharon
L W
LW
Boyette
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014891:Weight Lifting / Q000502:physiology*