Effects Of High Velocity Resistance Training On Body Composition Of Older Adults

Previous studies have shown resistance training programs to reduce total body fat mass. PURPOSE: The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effects of a high-velocity resistance-training program at two different intensities on body composition of older adults. METHODS: The participants of this 14-week pilot study consisted of eight adults over the age of 65. The researchers measured lean tissue mass, fat mass, and total body mass using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) before and after the 14-week training period. Participants were randomly separated into two groups: 30% and 60% of 1 repetition maximum (RM). The training protocol consisted of exercising two days per week, completing eight exercises for three sets of eight repetitions at high velocities. The subjects were instructed to lift the weight as quickly as possible then lower it over 2-3 seconds. A two-way repeated measures ANOVA was then used to analyze the results. RESULTS: A significant group-by-time interaction was observed for lean tissue mass (p=0.05). The increase in lean tissue mass in the 30% 1RM group approached significance (p=0.06) while a non-significant decrease in lean tissue mass was observed in the 60% 1RM group (p=0.24). No significant changes were observed in fat mass (p=0.43) or total mass (p=0.10). CONCLUSION: Researchers concluded that a 14-week community based high-velocity resistance-training program using 30% of 1RM is sufficient enough to produce significant changes in lean tissue. Future studies should use a larger sample size as well as utilize a broader range of intensities to observe changes in body composition.