By Brian Danley;
Cupertino, California Personal Training.

The Effect Of Exercise Training On Performance Of Activities Of Daily Living In Older Adults.

Exercise training programs improve the cognitive and physical performance of the activities of daily living (ADLs) in older adults.

This article reviews two studies which support the concept that the efficacy of a training program largely depends on the principle of training specificity, ADL education intervention, and the degree of difficulty of exercises.

Dobek, White, and Gunter (2006) investigated the correlation of ADL performance to an exercise program characterized by training specificity.  Dobek et al. (2006) hypothesized that ADL performance would significantly improve after participation in an ADL-based exercise program.  14 older ambulatory adults (mean age 82 years old) within a retirement community responded to advertised flyers to participate in a 20-week study.  The ADL-based training program, which consisted of nine exercises (e.g., sit-to-stand, stair climb, item transfer) performed twice per week for ten weeks, was evaluated using several physical performance measurement tests.

Dobek et al. (2006) concluded that the ADL-based exercise program enhanced the performance of ADLs more than a standard resistance training program.  This study demonstrated the principle of specificity in which the exercises within a training program directly relate to the performance of ADLs.

Martin, Latimer, Brawley, and Jung (2006) hypothesized older adults who received resistance training and ADL educational intervention would show greater improvements in ADL self-efficacy and physical performance than those who received only resistance training.

49 sedentary older adults between the ages of 68 and 85 volunteered to participate in a 12-week placebo-controlled, double-blind study advertised in the local newspaper and retiree newsletter.  Performance measures of eight timed tasks (e.g., 16.5-m walk, two-hand lift-and-carry, stair-step) simulating ADLs were evaluated in lab tests.  Resistance training consisted of three circuit sets of seven strengthening exercises (10 repetitions per exercise) at a weight load of 60-80% 1-RM performed twice per week.  The exercises (e.g., incline chest press, seated row, leg extension) worked the same muscles as in the ADL tests although they did not mimic the ADLs.  The participants were randomly assigned to either the weight training plus placebo education intervention (WT) or weight training plus ADL education intervention (WT + ED).

Martin et al. (2006) demonstrated that the physical performance of relatively easy tasks (e.g., walking, stair stepping) improved with WT + ED whereas the physical performance of relatively hard tasks (e.g., two-hand lift-and-carry, item transfer from low to high shelf) had not improved with WT + ED.   Nevertheless, the cognitive performance of walking, two-hand lift-and-carry, and stair stepping had all improved with WT + ED (Martin et al., 2006).

Resistance training accompanied by ADL education may improve cognitive performance but not necessarily physical performance of ADLs in older adults depending on the difficulty of the exercise. Personal trainers, armed with this knowledge, could train their clients more efficiently and successfully by focusing on the physical performance of exercises which are specific to ADLs but are not too difficult to perform.

To contact Brian or for more information about Brian Danley visit his Cupertino, California Personal Trainer profile page.

About Brian Danley
Brian Danley is a Certified Fitness Trainer, providing health and fitness guidance to home-based as well as Stanford University clients. Brian holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology and in Mechanical Engineering. In addition, he holds a Specialist in Performance Nutrition (SPN), and Fitness Therapy (FT) certification from the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA).

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References

Dobek, J.C., White, K.N., & Gunter, K.B. (2006).   The Effect of a Novel ADL-Based     Training Program on Performance of Activities of Daily Living and Physical Fitness.   Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 15, 13-25.  Retrieved September 22, 2009, from Academic Search Premier Database.

Martin Ginis, K.A., Latimer, A.E., Brawley, L.R., & Jung, M.E. (2006).  Weight Training to Activities of Daily Living:  Helping Older Adults Make a Connection.  Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 38(1), 116-121.  Retrieved September 22, 2009, from Academic Search Premier Database.