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The purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of three resistance exercise orders on muscular strength, body composition, and functional fitness in trained older women. Forty-five women (aged ≥60 years), after performing 12 weeks of a pre-conditioning resistance-training program were randomly assigned in one of the following groups that performed the exercises in the following orders: multi-joint to single-joint order (MJ-SJ, n=15), single-joint to multi-joint order (SJ-MJ, n=15), and alternating between upper and lower body order (ALT, n=15). Specific training intervention lasted 12 weeks (3x/week) and was composed of eight exercises performed in three sets of 15/10/5 repetitions, with increasing load through the sets. Muscular strength was estimated by one-repetition maximum tests; body composition was assessed by whole-body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and functional fitness was analyzed with a sequence of four motor tests. All groups improved similarly in muscular strength (Cohen's effect size: MJ-SJ=0.45; SJ-MJ=0.48; ALT=0.45), skeletal muscle mass (MJ-SJ=0.08; SJ-MJ=0.07; ALT=0.09), and functional test performance (MJ-SJ=0.38; SJ-MJ=0.20; ALT=0.31), but no change was observed for body fat (P >0.05). The results suggest that 12 weeks of resistance training induce positive changes in muscle morphofunctionality, regardless of the exercise order employed in trained older women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relationship between PhA and short-term maximal intensity efforts in soccer players, and was conducted in 99 male soccer players, ages 19–36 years. Bioelectrical impedance was used to assess body fat, fat free mass (FFM) and PhA (phase angle). Running Anaerobic Sprint Test (RAST) was used to evaluate physical performance. Food consumption was assessed through the 24-hour dietary recall method. Pearson correlation and multiple regressions were used for statistical analysis. Phase angle exhibited a positive relationship with maximum power (β=0.66; P<0.001), even after adjustment for the co-variables FFM and body fat (β=0.52; P=0.02). Phase angle was inversely related with fatigue index (β=− 0.61; P=0.04), even after adjusting for FFM (β=− 0.70; P=0.020). Our results indicated that independently of FFM and body fat, PhA was inversely associated with fatigue index and positively related with maximum power, revealing the PhA appeared as a valid predictor of fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim This study compared the effect of different resistance training (RT) frequencies on total, android, gynoid and trunk body fat in overweight/obese older women. Methods Fifty-seven overweight/obese older women (66.9 ± 5.3 years and 39.9 ± 4.9 % body fat) were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a group performing RT twice a week (G2X), a group performing RT three times a week (G3X), or a non-exercise control group (CG). Both training groups performed the same 12-week RT program consisting of 8 exercises that trained all major muscle groups. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to assess body composition. Results After the intervention period, both G2X and G3X demonstrated significant (P < 0.05) reductions in adiposity compared to the CG for total body fat (G2X = --1.7 %, G3X = --2.7 %, CG = + 2.1 %), android fat (G2X = --6.2 %, G3X = --7.0 %, CG = + 8.6 %), gynoid fat (G2X = --2.5 %, G3X = --2.9 %, CG = + 1.0 %), and trunk fat (G2X = --2.5 %, G3X = --3.0 %, CG = + 2.9 %), with no significant differences between training groups. Conclusion These results demonstrate that a low-volume 12- week RT program performed two or three times per week causes decreases in total and regional fat deposition with the greatest reductions occurring in the android region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed the effects of 12 weeks of resistance training (RT) on resting blood pressure (BP) and plasma levels of nitric oxide metabolites (NOx) in pre- and hypertensive older women, and evaluated the relationship between these 2 parameters. Thirty-five older women (68.2 ±5.7 years, 70.0 ±14.4 kg, 157.1 ±6.4 cm, 28.3 ±5.0 kg.m-2) were randomly allocated into a training group (TG; n = 17), which performed a 12-week RT program, and a control group (CG; n = 18), which did not perform any physical exercise. Anthropometry, one repetition maximum (1RM), body composition analysis by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, blood samples, and resting BP were measured. There was a significant interaction for all variables analyzed, in which reductions of systolic BP (-8.5%), diastolic BP (-8.4%), and mean arterial pressure (-8.5%), and increases of NOx (+ 35.2%) were observed only for the TG. Moreover, a negative and significant correlation was observed (P<0.05; r= -0.63) between NOx and systolic BP in the TG. Results suggest that a 12-week RT program is sufficient to induce reductions in BP in pre- and hypertensive older women and that the decrease in systolic BP is associated w ith an increase in plasma NOx concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]