FitBits
September 30, 2005
Exercise
ETC's Review of
Exercise Related Research
Compiled by
Jeannie Patton, MS, CSCS
CSCS Exam Review Programs Scheduled for November 12 & 13... Click Here
Daily Exercise Minimizes Functional
Decline Among Arthritic Older Adults
Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States affecting nearly 60 percent of Americans ages 65 and older. By 2010, arthritis is projected to affect almost 40 million Americans over age 65; this will increase the number of senior citizens with disabilities that can limit independent living. The purpose of this study was to identify lifestyle factors, including exercise, that may lead to functional decline in older adults with arthritis.
Subjects were 5,715 arthritic men and women over the age of 65; their function was measured at baseline and at the end of the 2-year study. The research team evaluated all participants for a wide range of risk factors, including age, education, income level, and the effect of other adverse health conditions.
Over the two-year period, nearly 14 percent of the patients experienced a measurable decline in their ability to carry out daily activities. Functional ability deteriorated more frequently among women (15 percent) than men (11 percent), and substantially more frequently among minorities (18 percent of Hispanics and close to 19 percent of African Americans) than Caucasians (about 13 percent). The strongest predictor of the loss of ability to perform basic activities of daily living after developing arthritis was the lack of regular vigorous exercise.
Researchers concluded that if individuals with arthritis engaged in regular exercise they could reduce functional decline and the associated healthcare costs by as much as 32%. Fitness Professional should offer education about the benefits of exercise as a part of a prevention and intervention program along with weight management.
Dorothy, Dunlop. et al. Risk Factors for Functional Decline. Arthritis & Rheumatism. 2005, 52(4), 1274-1282.
Prioritizing
Exercise Sequence
Helps to Improve Function
It is common practice to perform exercises for large muscle groups before exercises for small muscle groups during resistance training. The rationale behind this recommendation is that total force production for the entire session is greater when large muscle groups are worked first since working the small muscle groups first could potentially limit the force output of the large muscle groups in a multi-joint exercise. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of exercise order on the number of repetitions performed and the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) in an upper body resistance program.
Subjects were 14 male and 4 female participants with an average age of 20 years who had at least 6 months of resistance training experience. Both groups performed the same exercises (free-weight bench press, machine lat pull-down, seated machine shoulder press, standing free-weight biceps curl and machine triceps extension). Each subject performed either sequence A (large muscles to small muscles) or sequence B (small muscles to large muscles) and then 48 hours later did the opposite sequence.
The researchers found that exercise order did not significantly affect the number of repetitions performed in either sequence A or B. However, in both sequences, there was a clear trend toward decreased performance later in the program, especially in the third set.
The results of this study indicate that Fitness Professionals should prioritize their client’s training goals when deciding exercises sequence: If a decrease in performance is going to occur in exercises performed later in the sequence, then those of highest importance should be performed first.
When working with the average healthy adult, improving function is often a high priority. Multi-joint activities which involve the large muscle groups generally have more crossover to activities of daily living (ADLs) than single-joint activities, so working the large muscles before the small makes sense, but for variety in programming, it is nice to know that both large-to-small and small-to-large muscle sequences are viable options.
Simao, R. et al. Influence of Exercise Order on the Number of Repetitions Performed and Perceived exertion during resistance exercises. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2005, 19(1), 152-156.
CSCS Exam Review Programs
Scheduled for November 12 & 13
Exercise ETC’s popular review courses for the CSCS exam will be held in multiple cities this fall. This detailed program will help prepare you for the CSCS exam by covering:
- Exercise science
- Program design
- Assessment
- Nutrition and supplementation
- Facility standards
- Much more
We are so sure this program will prepare you for the CSCS exam that we guarantee if you do not pass the CSCS test after taking this course that you can retake the course free of charge.
This highly effective program will be held this fall in the following cities this fall:
- Chicago
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- Los Angeles
- New York City
For details, visit our web site at: www.exerciseetc.com or call us at 1-800-244-1344.
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