Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Volume 87, Issue 3 , Pages 383-389, March 2006

Influence of Resistance Exercise on Lumbar Strength in Older, Overweight Adults

  • Kevin R. Vincent, MD, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests to Kevin R. Vincent, MD, PhD, Dept of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Virginia, PO Box 801004, Charlottesville, VA 22908-1004.
    • ,
  • Randy W. Braith, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Center for Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
    • ,
  • Heather K. Vincent, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA
    • Center for the Study of Complementary and Alternative Therapies, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA

Abstract 

Vincent KR, Braith RW, Vincent HK. Influence of resistance exercise on lumbar strength in older, overweight adults.

Objective

To measure lumbar extensor strength in overweight (OVW) and nonoverweight (NOVW) elderly adults before and after resistance exercise training (RX).

Design

Descriptive, comparative study.

Setting

University-based wellness center and research facility.

Participants

Eighty-four adults (age range, 60−83y) were placed into 1 of 2 groups based on body mass index (BMI): control (NOVW; mean BMI, 22.5kg/m2) or OVW (mean BMI, 29.2kg/m2). Subjects were then randomly assigned to either a resistance exercise (RX) or nonexercising group.

Intervention

Six months of total body RX and isolated lumbar extension exercise.

Main Outcome Measures

Body composition, isometric lumbar extension strength, and 1-repetition maximum for each of the training exercises.

Results

Upper-body strength increased by 18.3% and 17.2% for the NOVW-RX and OVW-RX groups, respectively. Lower-body strength increased by 12.7% and 19.5% for the NOVW-RX and OVW-RX groups, respectively. At baseline, the OVW participants had greater total lumbar extension strength (1067Nm vs 714Nm) compared with the NOVW participants (P<.05). When expressed per kilogram of fat-free mass, there were no differences in baseline total lumbar extension strength. After RX, lumbar extension strength increased by 58% and 34% for the NOVW-RX and OVW-RX groups, respectively (P<.05). No changes in lumbar extension, upper- or lower-body strength were noted for the nontraining groups.

Conclusions

OVW subjects were found to have greater absolute and similar relative, upper-body, lower-body, and lumbar extension strength at baseline when compared with their NOVW counterparts. Also, isolated lumbar extension exercise was effective in improving lumbar extensor strength in OVW and NOVW persons.

Key Words:  Elderly , Lumbar region , Obesity , Rehabilitation

 

 Supported in part by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) (grant nos. T32-AT00052, K30-AT-00060); the contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NCCAM, or the National Institutes of Health.No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the authors or upon any organization with which the authors are associated.

PII: S0003-9993(05)01471-1

doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2005.11.030

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Volume 87, Issue 3 , Pages 383-389, March 2006

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