Effects of Resistance Training on Physical Performance, Health and Quality of Life in Elderly (RTCHealth)

Physical exercise is considered an important intervention for promoting well-being and healthy aging. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of moderate-to-high intensity resistance training circuit on different parameters of fat mass, functional autonomy, strength and quality of life in elderly. A randomized controlled trial was conducted. A total of 45 subjects, (27 females, 18 males) aged between 65-75 years old from Murcia (Spain) were randomly to experimental group (resistance training circuit for 12-weeks and isocaloric diet program) and control group (no resistance training intervention). Fat mass, functional autonomy, muscular strength, perceived exertion, and quality of life perception were obtained with validated tools. Experimental group decreases significantly their fat mass percentage whilst control group not presented differences. Muscular strength results exhibited significant differences between intervention training protocol. Furthermore, experimental group presented better marks than control group at quality of life questionnaire and functional autonomy scores. The moderate-to-high intensity resistance training circuit showed increase in upper and lower muscular strength as well as functional capacity and significantly decreased total fat mass and that improvements in physical function predict improvements in QoL perception in elderly.