Is power training or conventional resistance training better for function in elderly persons? A meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective: to determine the effects of power training with high movement velocity compared with conventional resistance training with low movement velocity for older community-dwelling people. Design: systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Data sources: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed (Medline), EMBASE, CINAHL, PEDro and Scholar-Google. Trials: all randomised or quasi-randomised trials investigating power training with high movement velocity versus conventional resistance training with low movement velocity in elderly persons over the age of 60 years. The primary outcomes were measures of functional outcomes; secondary outcomes were balance, gait, strength, power, muscle volume and adverse effects. Results: eleven trials were identified involving 377 subjects. The pooled effect size for the follow-up values of the functional outcomes was 0.32 in favour of the power training (95% CI 0.06 to 0.57) and 0.38 (95% CI −0.51 to 1.28) for the change value. The pooled effect from three studies for self-reported function was 0.16 in favour of power training (95% CI −0.17 to 0.49). Conclusion: power training is feasible for elderly persons and has a small advantage over strength training for functional outcomes. No firm conclusion can be made for safety.

Recruitment rate, feasibility and safety of power training in individuals with Parkinson's disease: a proof-of-concept study

“…Although arterial hypertension was the most frequent health condition, no cardiovascular problems were reported during the intervention period. The average perceived exertion was 12.8±1.1 (11)(12)(13)(14), which corresponds to 'somewhat hard' on the Borg Scale.…”

“…In these subjects, loads equal to 40% of one maximal resistance (1MR) were able to increase muscle power because of the gains in movement speed 8,9 . Power training has been shown to be safe and well tolerated in older adults 10 , however there is a need to determine possible adverse events associated with the training of fast movements in frail, sedentary older adults with functional deficits 10,11 . There is still no evidence that this kind of exercise can be safe and tolerated by subjects with PD, although safety is the main concern for these subjects when deciding to participate in a clinical trial 12 .…”

Envejecimiento, masa muscular y entrenamiento de la fuerza: una revisión

“…También los autores dan la opción de un entrenamiento de alta intensidad en adultos mayores con suficiente aptitud y experiencia y que trabajen en entornos supervisados. Sobre la potencia, Tschopp et al (2011), en un meta-análisis, observaron que la mayoría de los estudios utilizaron sesiones de entrenamiento con 2-3 series de 8-12 repeticiones tres veces por semana durante un período de 8-16 semanas, con un máximo de 24 semanas, todo lo anterior a una alta velocidad y baja carga que estaba entre 40%-75% de 1RM.…”

“…Respecto al entrenamiento de la potencia, Tschopp, et al (2011) hicieron un meta-análisis comparando los efectos de entrenamientos de fuerza a baja velocidad versus los que incluían velocidades más altas y donde participaron personas mayores. Incluyeron ensayos aleatorios o ensayos con asignaciones diferentes clasificando 11 estudios que vincularon a 377 casos.…”

Moderate Intensity Is a Better Stimulus to Induce Quadripecs Femoris Power in Elderly Adults

“…Nevertheless, there is not a consensus on the best method to achieve this goal, although strength training and, particularly, power training have been shown to be suitable. 8 Indeed, Tschopp et al 8 found both strength and power training to be an effective strategy to reverse senescent functional decline. The authors, however, elect power training as the best method because similar results can be achieved with 20% less training volume.…”