Motor inactivity is typical in the later stages of Alzheimer's disease although there is evidence that physical exercise can reduce depression and enhance performance of daily activities. The aim of this study was to determine whether a walking program could reduce the functional and cognitive decline of elderly nursing home residents in the later stages of Alzheimer's disease. A total of 21 patients (84 ± 5 years) were randomly assigned to a walking program (WG) or to a control group (CG). A 6-minute walking test (6WT), the Barthel index of activities of daily living (ADLs), and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) tests were performed before and after 24 weeks of the program. The WG showed significant improvement in the 6WT (20%) and ADLs (23%), while the CG decreased in MMSE (-47%), the WG had a slower decline (-13%). This study indicates that it is possible to stabilize the progressive cognitive dysfunctions in nursing home residents with Alzheimer's disease through a specific walking program.

To examine whether the increase in bout duration would affect the exercise intensity and technical actions, we manipulated bout duration during a typical small-sided game drill (SSG) in male soccer players. Nineteen players (mean ± SD: age 24 ± 4 years, body mass 74 ± 4 kg, and height 180 ± 5 cm) completed three bouts of a 3-a-side drill at three different bout durations: 2, 4, and 6 minutes. Exercise intensity was quantified using heart rate (HR) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). A nonsignificant duration × bout interaction was found for HR (p = 0.757). Heart rates of bout 1 were significantly lower than bout 2 (p = 0.004) and bout 3 (p = 0.049). The effect of duration was close to significance for HR (p = 0.057) with 6-minute SSG significantly lower than 4-minute SSG (p = 0.004). Duration × bout interaction did not reach the significance for RPE (p = 0.096). The RPE significantly increased along the bouts (p < 0.001) but was not affected by duration (p = 0.763). No effect of duration was found for number of technical actions per minute (p > 0.111). A significant effect of bout was only found for successful passes (p = 0.018). Partially confirming our hypothesis, the increase in bout duration from 2 to 6 minutes resulted in a decrease in intensity only between the 4- and 6-min SSG. However, duration did not influence the technical actions and proficiency. The magnitude of changes in HR (89.5 vs. 87.8 of maximum) is probably not enough to induce different training adaptations. Therefore, coaches can use different bout durations with minimal impact on exercise intensity and without compromising technical proficiency.