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Neuromuscular power is essential for the performance of most activities of daily living and the maintenance of functional independence throughout the aging process. Power declines rapidly in later life; however, this decline may be reduced or delayed with early detection and intervention. Therefore, this study provides leg press and chest press power normative values for older women. Women's power data for this analysis included 229 participants, 60--90 years of age. Power testing was conducted on Keiser A420 pneumatic leg press and chest press machines following a standardized protocol. Data were stratified into half-decade age groups and analyzed using a 1-way ANOVA. Descriptive statistics and quartile rankings are reported, and significant differences between age groups are outlined. There were significant differences in absolute and relative leg press peak power between the age groups (p, 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in absolute or relative chest press peak power between the age groups. This research established normative values and quartile rankings for leg press and chest press power in older women 60--90 years of age, allowing comparative evaluations with patients and subjects by clinicians and researchers, respectively. These values should improve exercise interventions designed to improve power production by providing assessments of subjects' current status and allowing comprehensive monitoring of progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the test-retest reliability of the gallon-jug shelf-transfer (GJST) test as a measure of upper-body functional power in older women. Although the validity of the predictive equations for power during the GJST test has been established, for the test to be viable in either a laboratory or clinical environment, between-day and within-day reliability must be established. Thirty-four independently living older women (mean ± SD: 75.0 ± 6.4 years) performed 2 sets of 3 repetitions of the GJST test on 2 days separated by at least 48 hours. Using the established predictive equations, the values for peak power and average power were then computed. Statistical analyses to assess reliability included intraclass correlation coefficient, coefficient of variation (CV), SEM, minimal detectable change (MDC), and Cronbach's α values. Furthermore, Bland-Altman plots evaluated the agreement between the tests. Intraclass correlation coefficient (>0.91, p < 0 001), CV (<8.1%), SEM (<5.94 W), MDC (<14 W), and Cronbach's α (>0.95) indicated excellent reliability. The lines of equality for all Bland-Altman plots fell within the 95% confidence interval of the mean difference, implying that there were no significant differences between tests. Furthermore, bias values were small (<11.15 W), and the limits of agreement (LOA) were within an acceptable range. Based on our statistical analyses, the GJST test is a highly reliable assessment for determining object transfer power for healthy older women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]