Effects of resistive exercise in the mobility, flexibility, muscle strength, and balance of the elderly

Abstract

Introduction: Some losses resulting from aging can be minimized with the practice of resistive exercises. Objective: To analyze the effects of resistive exercises on flexibility, mobility, muscle strength and balance in the elderly. Method: Twenty elderly individuals were divided between an activity group (AG, n=10; 66.16.35 years) and a control group (CG, n=10; 65.47.54 years). Mobility, flexibility, muscle strength and balance were evaluated. The AG participated in the training for 13 weeks (one-hour sessions, twice a week). The Wilcoxon non-parametric test (intra-group analysis) was used to analyze the data. A significance level of 5% (p<0.05) was adopted. Results: After training, the AG presented better mobility, lower limb muscle strength, and balance, but no difference in flexibility. Conclusion: The present study allows us to conclude that resistive exercises were able to improve mobility, lower limb muscle strength and balance in elderly individuals.