Effect Of a Water-based Fitness Program On Muscular Strength Performance In Healthy Elderly Women

Ιntroduction
Muscle weakness in old age is a considerable health concern, as it may limit independent living and potentially
contribute to falls1. Research conducted on exercise for the elderly have shown that water-exercise (WEX) may be a
preferred mode of exercise as it reduces weight-bearing stresses on the skeletal joints2. However there are few reports
available to examine the effect of long-term WEX in older adults. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects
of a 12-wk well-rounded water-exercise program (3d.wk-1) on muscular performance of elderly women.

Methods
Twenty healthy women (60-75 yr of age) were randomly assigned into a training (TR) group (n=12) and a control (C)
group (n=8). The training program consisted of 5 min of warm-up and stretching exercises, 30 min of endurance type
exercise, 20 min of resistance exercise and 5 min of cool-down exercise. All the components of the training program
were performed in water. Muscular strength was evaluated by the three-repetition maximum (3-RM) test. Maximal
bilateral isometric knee extension (KEXT) and flexion (KFLEX) torque was measured via a Cybex Norm
dynamometer. The grip strength (GS) was evaluated with a Jamar dynamometer.

Results
3-RM strength increased significantly (p<0,05) for knee extension (18,5%), leg press (21,2%) and chest press (14,4%)
in the TR group. Peak isometric torque of knee extensors (12,1 % &11,2% for ) and flexors (13,65% & 6,04% for the
right and left knee respective) and grip strength (8%) also increased significantly (p<0,05). There were no significant
(p>0,05) changes in these variables in the control group.

Conclusion
The results of the present study demonstrate that WEX elicits significant improvements in muscular strength parameters
in healthy elderly women. Thus, this type of exercise can be recommended as a safe alternative exercise mode for
muscular conditioning in elderly women.

References
[1]. Mazzeo R., et al. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 30(6): 992-1008, 1998.
[2]. Ruoti R., et al. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 19(3): 140-5, 1994.

NOTA: O texto com a iconografia está no anexo.

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