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Although a well-rounded conditioning program is advised for all individuals, deficiencies in muscle strength & power that coincide with advancing age have been found to impair function more significantly than poor cardiovascular fitness or flexibility. Therefore, a conditioning program for the elderly would do well to emphasis the former components. Because most avid exercisers use concurrent exercise in which strength and cardio are performed in the same workout, researchers have questioned whether exercise order affects performance and benefit from training. A recent study published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research found that strength performance is impaired in the elderly when preceded by aerobic exercise. Researchers studied the effects of low and high intensity aerobic exercise on the performance of strength exercises in 25 women over age 70. All participants had a minimum of 5 years training experience. The participants completed two training sequences within 72 hours of one another. During the first session, participants complete 20 minutes on a treadmill achieving 60% HRmax. They immediately performed three sets with a 10RM load on three different exercises: leg press, leg extension, and leg curl in that order. Participants achieved concentric failure on each set, resting 90 seconds between sets and 3 minutes between exercises. During the second training session participants followed the same protocol, this time achieving 80% HRmax on the treadmill for 20 minutes. Researchers quantified the total number of repetitions completed during strength training exercises along with RPE measures both during and after aerobic exercise, and during strength exercises. Although both protocols appeared to inhibit performance of the strength exercises, the higher intensity aerobic session did so more significantly. Moreover, the participants experienced greater fatigue as indicated by fewer repetitions and perceived exertion when performing strength training after treadmill walking. The practical implications of this study suggest that trainers prioritize strength if the elderly client’s objective is to optimize function. This means encouraging separate strength and cardio training days, or at a minimum performing strength exercises first in a combined session. Lemos, A. et al (2009) The Acute Influence of Two Intensities of Aerobic Exercise on Strength Training Performance in Elderly Women. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 23(4): 1252-57. FitBits.com
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