Cardiovascular Tolerance of Healthy Elderly Subjects to Weight-Lifting Exercises.

Cardiovascular Tolerance of Healthy Elderly Subjects to Weight-Lifting Exercises Bermon S, Rama D, Dolisi C (Department of Physiology, Nice Medical School, University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Nice, France), Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2000;32:1845-1848.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of resistance exercise on hemodynamic strain and myocardial tolerance--measured by cardiac tropin I (cTnI) concentrations--during exercise in elderly subjects who were healthy. Sixty-five subjects (32 men, 33 women, age range=65-80 years) who were sedentary participated in this study. Four training sessions on a Marcy Vertex II multistation weight machine were conducted. The researchers obtained the one-repetition maximum values for the leg press, bilateral leg extension, and seated chest press.

Strength testing lasted 75 minutes, including a 15-minute warm up and 2-minute rest periods between sets and the concentric and eccentric phases. Testing consisted of 2 sets of 12 repetitions at the 12-repetition maximum and 4 sets of 5 repetitions at the 5-repetition maximum for the leg press, bilateral leg extension, and seated chest press. To avoid a Valsalva maneuver, the subjects were instructed to exhale during the concentric phase of each repetition.

Fasting blood samples were taken 45 minutes prior to the start of testing and 6 hours after exercise. Samples were collected, stored, and processed using standard procedures. Systolic and diastolic arterial pressures were noninvasively measured at the third finger on the nondominant hand during the lower-extremity exercises and at the second left toe during the upper-extremity exercise. These values were recorded before and after the strength test. Electrocardiogram electrodes were used to monitor and record heart rhythm and rate. Heart rate was also continuously measured with a Polar Vantage NV HR recorder.

The authors reported no significant differences between the data of the male and female subjects; therefore, they combined the results for the statistical analyses. The results indicated that the strength tests increased blood pressure and heart rate of the subjects significantly. The highest measurements of systolic (223.6 [+ or -] 3.1 [SEM] mm Hg) and diastolic (139.6 [+ or -] 1.9 mm Hg) arterial pressures and heart rate (108 [+ or -] 2 bpm) were recorded during the horizontal leg press. Strength testing, however, did not increase cardiac tropin I concentrations significantly (16.56 [+ or -] 2.23 ng/L versus 14.40 [+ or -] 1.96 ng/L).

According to the authors, this study suggests that sedentary elderly people who are healthy can tolerate weight-training exercises without the signs of myocardial ischemia.

Carrie Silver-Bernstein, PT, ATC
Team Conditioning Concepts
Coventry, Conn