power training is feasible for elderly persons and has a small advantage over strength training for functional outcomes .
OBJECTIVE to determine the effects of power training with high movement velocity compared with conventional resistance training with low movement velocity for older community-dwelling people .
Early plateaus of power and torque gains during high- and low-speed resistance training of older women.
Periodization is the most effective approach to resistance training ; however , optimal cycle lengths for older persons are not known . This study examined the duration s of performance increments , plateaus , and decrements in women , ages 61 - 75 yr , over 9 wk of isokinetic training .  After a 2-wk adaptation cycle , older women trained for either power ( PWR ; 4.73 rad/s ; n = 9 ) or strength ( STR ; 1.05 rad/s ; n = 8) , 3 days/wk with a 1-day recovery between sessions . Repetitions were initially selected to equilibrate work volume between groups . Average power ( AP ) , peak torque ( PT ) , and total work ( TW ) curves were analyzed using forward and backward stepwise regression to ascertain inflections and plateaus . PWR training produced the highest AP , whereas STR produced the highest PT . TW was similar between groups . The AP curves of the PWR group initially showed a steep positive slope and then plateaued during week 3 . The right leg plateau lasted throughout training , whereas the left leg showed another positive inflection during weeks 7 and 8 . PWR group TW curves showed positive slopes throughout training . STR group PT curves for both legs showed initial positive slopes peaking between weeks 3 and 4 and declining thereafter . The TW curves for both legs showed slight negative slopes across the first 2 wk , steep positive slopes during weeks 3 - 6 , and a final plateau . Because improvements plateau early during PWR and STR training , isokinetic training prescriptions for optimizing strength and power improvements in older persons should use cycles of 3 - 4 wk to maximize gains
power training is feasible for elderly persons and has a small advantage over strength training for functional outcomes .
OBJECTIVE to determine the effects of power training with high movement velocity compared with conventional resistance training with low movement velocity for older community-dwelling people .