Resistance Circuit Training or Walking Training: Which Program Improves Muscle Strength and Functional Autonomy More in Older Women?

Ayrton Moraes Ramos; Pablo Jorge Marcos-Pardo; Rodrigo Gomes de Souza Vale; Lucio Marques Vieira-Souza; Bruno de Freitas Camilo; Estélio Henrique Martin-Dantas

doi:10.3390/ijerph19148828

Resistance Circuit Training or Walking Training: Which Program Improves Muscle Strength and Functional Autonomy More in Older Women?

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jul 20;19(14):8828. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19148828.

Authors

Ayrton Moraes Ramos¹, Pablo Jorge Marcos-Pardo^{2

3

4}, Rodrigo Gomes de Souza Vale^{4

5}, Lucio Marques Vieira-Souza⁶, Bruno de Freitas Camilo⁶, Estélio Henrique Martin-Dantas^{4

7}

Affiliations

¹ Federal Institute of Pará-IFPA, Campus Paragominas, Paragominas 68629-020, Brazil.
² CERNEP, Research Centre, SPORT Research Group (CTS-1024), University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain.
³ Department of Education, Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain.
⁴ Active Aging, Exercise and Health/HEALTHY-AGE Network, Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD), Ministry of Culture and Sport of Spain, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
⁵ Postgraduate Program in Exercise and Sport Sciences, Institute of Physical Education and Sports (PPCEE), Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), Rio de Janeiro 20550-013, Brazil.
⁶ Physical Education Course, State University of Minas Gerais, Passos 37903-204, Brazil.
⁷ Doctor's Degree Program in Nursing and Biosciences-PPgEnfBio, Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro-UNIRIO, Rio de Janeiro 21941-901, Brazil.

Abstract

To evaluate the effects of two programs (resistance and walking training) on the functional autonomy and muscle strength (isometric and dynamic) of older women, 67 subjects were divided randomly into three groups: resistance training (RTG; Mean = 64.70 ± 6.74 years), walking (WG, Mean = 65.56 ± 7.82 years), and control (CG; Mean = 64.81 ± 4.34). The experimental groups underwent a 16-week intervention. Muscle strength (isometric and dynamic) and functional autonomy were assessed. The subjects participating in the RTG showed improvements in the comparison pre to post-test in the maximal forces of upper limb (MULS) (Δ% = 49.48%; p = 0.001) and lower limb (MLLS) (Δ% = 56.70%; p = 0.001), isometric biceps forces (BIS) (Δ% = 30.13%; p = 0.001) and quadriceps forces (QIS) (Δ% = 65.92%; p = 0.001), and in the general index (GI) of functional autonomy (Δ% = −18.32%; p = 0.002). The WG improved in all functional autonomy tests, except for the standing up from prone position test (SVDP). In strength tests, the WG obtained improvements only in the QIS (Δ% = 41.80%; p = 0.001) and MLLS (Δ% = 49.13%; p = 0.001) tests. The RTG obtained better results (p < 0.05) when compared to the WG and CG. The results allow us to infer that resistance exercise programs are more effective in increasing strength and functional autonomy, a fact that may mitigate the deleterious effects on health of aging.

Keywords: functional independence; physical exercise; quality of life.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Circuit-Based Exercise* / methods
Female
Humans
Muscle Strength / physiology
Quadriceps Muscle
Resistance Training* / methods
Walking

Grants and funding

The present research is supported by a young researchers’ mobility grant (P.J.M.-P.) from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport of Spain—“José Castillejo”—Postdoctoral stay (2017, n° CAS17/00491).