The effect of 8-week multicomponent intervention on physical fitness in trained older women

Abstract

Introduction: A sufficient level of aerobic endurance, strength and balance is an important precondition for performing almost all activities of daily living with advancing age. Multimodal physical interventions seem to be an effective tool to improve overall fitness for of elderly. However, it is not known to what extent such interventions are effective in healthy and physically active elderly people. Therefore, this study aims to assess the effect of an 8-week multimodal training programme focused on aerobic endurance, strength and dynamic balance in physically active elderly females. Methods: A total of 25 physically active women over 60 years of age completed and 8-week multimodal training programme with two 60-minute sessions a week. Their functional performance before and after the intervention was evaluated with the Chair stand test, Arm curl test, 2-minute step test, Chair sit-and-reach test, Back scratch test and Foot up and go test. A program STATISTICA was used for data analyses (TIBCO Software Inc., 2018; version 13). Results: An 8-week multicomponent training programme resulted in a statistically significant performance in 2-minute step test. Moreover, training resulted in a significant reduction of BMI. Surprisingly, training resulted in the significantly prolonged time in the Foot up and go test. No other significant changes have been observed. The training programme resulted in a statistically significant improvement in the 2-minute step test (p=0.007). Moreover, the BMI index significantly decreased after the programme (p=0.037). Surprisingly, training resulted in the significantly prolonged time in the Foot up and go test (p=0.011). No other significant changes have been observed. Conclusion: The 8-week multimodal training programme seems to be an effective tool for increasing aerobic endurance in physically active elderly women. This training does not contribute to more pronounced improvements of other abilities.