Efeito de oito semanas de treinamento resistido sobre a capacidade funcional e cognitiva em idosos

Abstract

Aging is a process that causes structural changes in the human body, and the form and speed of this process depends on several factors. Individuals who practice physical activities during adulthood and old age can slow down the process and its consequences in the body. Objective: To verify the effect of eight weeks of resistance training on functional and cognitive capacity in the elderly. Methodology: This is an observational cross-sectional study. Study participants (n = 5) had a mean age of 64.2 (standard deviation 4.2), previously active. The functional capacity was evaluated by the following tests: arm flexion test in 30 seconds (strength resistance MMSS), seat lift and sit test in 30 seconds (resistance MMII), sit and reach the foot test (MMII flexibility), Hands-on-back test (MMSS flexibility), 10-meter walking test (speed), test for getting around the house (agility). The cognitive ability was evaluated through the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). The analyzes were conducted in Microsoft Excel 2010. In order to obtain a descriptive analysis of the data, measures of central tendency and variability (mean and standard deviation) were applied. The effect of the training (independent variable) on the dependent variables was analyzed by the paired T-Test. Results: The data indicate that eight weeks of resistance training were able to promote significant improvements in strength tests of MMSS, MMII, agility and cognition (p <0.05). Conclusion: Supervised resistance training can be considered an effective modality to combat the decline of functional and cognitive capacity in the elderly.