Frequency of Combined Resistance and Aerobic Training in Older Women

Fisher, G, McCarthy, JP, Zuckerman, PA, Bryan, DR, Bickel, CS, and Hunter, GR. Frequency of combined resistance and aerobic training in older women. J Strength Cond Res 27(7): 1868-1876, 2013The aim of this study was to determine the optimal frequency of combined aerobic and resistance training for improving muscular strength (MS), cardiovascular fitness (CF), and functional tasks (FTs) in women older than 60 years. Sixty-three women were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 exercise training groups. Group 1 performed 1 resistance exercise training (RET) and 1 aerobic exercise training (AET) session per week (AET/RET 1 x wk(-1)); group 2 performed 2 RET and 2 AET sessions per week (AET/RET 2 x wk(-1)); and group 3 performed 3 RET and 3 AET sessions per week (AET/RET 3 x wk(-1)). MS, CF, and FT measurements were made pretraining and 16 weeks posttraining. Repeated-measures analysis of variance indicated a significant time effect for changes in MS, CF, and FT, such that all improved after training. However, there were no significant training group or training group x time interactions. Sixteen weeks of combined AET/RET (1 x wk(-1), 2 x wk(-1), or 3 x wk(-1)) lead to significant improvements in MS, CF, exercise economy, and FT. However, there were no significant differences for MS, CF, or FT outcomes between groups.