With the help of resistance exercise, the elderly population can not only decelerate or prevent sarkopenia, but also increase the cross-section of Type 2 muscle fibers and enlarge their maximum and explosive speed, which, consequently, has an influence on the preservation or, even more, improvement of their functional abilities. The purpose of the study was to examine practical implication and actual effects of the inertial contrapion on functional abilitites such as cardiovascular endurance, leg extensor power, agility and balance among elderly.
Inertion contraptions are based on exploiting the momen of inertia of a cilindrical weight. The rotational energy, which is gained by the wheel during its concentric pull, is cancelled out by stopping the rotation of the wheel. During the exercise, the contraction of the eccentric part of the muscles generates stronger forces than the concentric part, which is a vital concept of the inertion exercise, also known as eccentric overload.
In the study we compared the effects of two different tipes of resistance exercise on two groups of elderly - one taking part in the traditional exercise in the form of performing squats using the kettlebell, the other working with the constructed inertion contraption. The results of the exercises of the two groups monitored were compared to the control group. We discovered a similar effect of both of the exercise tipes on the power of the leg extensor muscles tested by the Sit to Stand test. The exercise group using the inertion contraption has provided us with slightly better results at the end of the 8-week programme. We have also found out that, statistically, both of the exercises have not majorly influenced the results of the Functional Reach Test, the Timed Up and Go Test and the 6-minute Walk Test.
The resistance exercise using the constructed inertion contraption has proved to be a practical and useful alternative to the traditional resistance exercise among elderly. The contraption used in this research has the possibility of adjusting the intensity of the exercise to a specific individual. This was based on tests which showed us the maximum pulling ability of a specific individual which performed the test.
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