ff ects of Concurrent Training in Elderly

▼ The aim of the present study was to investigate the eff ects of concurrent strength and endurance training on neuromuscular and hormonal parameters in elderly men. 23 healthy men (65 ± 4 years) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: concurrent (CG, n = 8), strength (SG, n = 8) or endurance group (EG, n = 7). The programs consisted, of strength training, endurance training on a cycle ergometer or a combination of both in the same session 3 times per week over a duration of 12 weeks. Subjects were evaluated on parameters related to muscle strength, muscle activation and serum hormones. There were signifi cant increases in lower-body strength in all groups (P < 0.05), with higher increases in SG (67 % ) than CG (41 % ) and both were higher than EG (25 % ) (p < 0.01). Only SG and CG increased upper-body strength (p < 0.01), with no signifi cant diff erence between the 2 groups. Furthermore, there were signifi cant decreases in free testosterone in EG after training. Signifi cant increases in isometric strength and maximal muscle activation (p < 0.05) as well as decreases in the submaximal muscle activation to the same load, were only seen in SG (p < 0.05). The present results suggest that the interference eff ect observed due to concurrent strength and endurance training could be related to impairment of neural adaptations. D ow nl oa de d by : D ot . L ib In fo rm at io n. C op yr ig ht ed m at er ia l.