POLLOCK, M. L., J. F. CARROLL, J. E. GRAVES, S. H. LEGGETT, R. W. BRAITH, M. LIMACHER, and J. M. HAGBERG. Injuries and adherence to walk/jog and resistance training programs in the elderly. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 23, No. 10, pp. 1194-1200, 1991. To evaluate the effects of 26 wk of aerobic and resistance training on the incidence of injury and program adherence in 70- to 79-yr-old men and women, 57 healthy volunteers (25 males, 32 females) were randomly assigned to a walk/jog (W/J, N = 21), strength (STREN, N = 23), or control (CONT, N = 13) group. Walk/jog training was for 30-45 min, 3 d. wk-1 with intensity equal to 40-70% heart rate max reserve (HRmax reserve) during the first 13 wk, and 75-85% HRmax reserve for weeks 14-26. STREN training consisted of one set (10-12 repetitions) each of 10 variable resistance exercises performed to volitional fatigue. Forty-nine of the original participants completed the training program. Walk/jog training increased [latin capital V with dot above]O2max from 22.5 to 27.1 ml.kg-1.min-1 (P +/- 0.05) while STREN and CONT showed no change. STREN improved significantly in chest press and leg extension strength (P +/- 0.05) while W/J and CONT showed no change. Adherence to training was 20/23 (87%) and 17/21 (81%) in STREN and W/J, respectively. One repetition maximum (1-RM) strength testing resulted in 11 injuries in the 57 subjects (19.3%) while STREN training resulted in only two injuries in 23 subjects (8.7%). Walk training during weeks 1-13 resulted in one injury in 21 subjects (4.8%). Eight of 14 subjects (57%) who began jogging intervals at week 14 incurred an injury: two of eight (25%) of the men and all of the women (6 of 6). All W/J training injuries were to the lower extremity. Only one dropout occurred due to injury. The results showed that 70-79 yr olds make significant improvements in [latin capital V with dot above]O2max and strength with training, but because of injuries incurred during jogging and 1-RM strength testing, these activities should be used with caution.
(C)1991The American College of Sports Medicine