AUTHOR=Marques Diogo Luís , Neiva Henrique Pereira , Marinho Daniel Almeida , Pires Ivan Miguel , Nunes Célia , Marques Mário Cardoso 

TITLE=Load-power relationship in older adults: The influence of maximal mean and peak power values and their associations with lower and upper-limb functional capacity

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2022.1007772

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2022.1007772

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=<p>Identifying the relative loads (%1RM) that maximize power output (P<sub>max-load</sub>) in resistance exercises can help design interventions to optimize muscle power in older adults. Moreover, examining the maximal mean power (MP<sub>max</sub>) and peak power (PP<sub>max</sub>) values (Watts) would allow an understanding of their differences and associations with functionality markers in older adults. Therefore, this research aimed to 1) analyze the load-mean and peak power relationships in the leg press and chest press in older adults, 2) examine the differences between mean P<sub>max-load</sub> (MP<sub>max-load</sub>) and peak P<sub>max-load</sub> (PP<sub>max-load</sub>) within resistance exercises, 3) identify the differences between resistance exercises in MP<sub>max-load</sub> and PP<sub>max-load</sub>, and 4) explore the associations between MP<sub>max</sub> and PP<sub>max</sub> in the leg press and chest press with functional capacity indicators. Thirty-two older adults (79.3 ± 7.3 years) performed the following tests: medicine ball throw (MBT), five-repetition sit-to-stand (STS), 10-m walking (10 W), and a progressive loading test in the leg press and chest press. Quadratic regressions analyzed 1) the load-mean and peak power relationships and identified the MP<sub>max-load</sub>, MP<sub>max</sub>, PP<sub>max-load</sub>, and PP<sub>max</sub> in both exercises, 2) the associations between MP<sub>max</sub> and PP<sub>max</sub> in the chest press with MBT, and 3) the associations between MP<sub>max</sub> and PP<sub>max</sub> in the leg press with STS<sub>power</sub> and 10W<sub>velocity</sub>. In the leg press, the MP<sub>max-load</sub> was ∼66% 1RM, and the PP<sub>max-load</sub> was ∼62% 1RM, both for women and men (<italic>p</italic> &gt; 0.05). In the chest press, the MP<sub>max-load</sub> was ∼62% 1RM, and the PP<sub>max-load</sub> was ∼56% 1RM, both for women and men (<italic>p</italic> &gt; 0.05). There were differences between MP<sub>max-load</sub> and PP<sub>max-load</sub> within exercises (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01) and differences between exercises in MP<sub>max-load</sub> and PP<sub>max-load</sub> (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01). The MP<sub>max</sub> and PP<sub>max</sub> in the chest press explained ∼48% and ∼52% of the MBT-1 kg and MBT-3 kg variance, respectively. In the leg press, the MP<sub>max</sub> and PP<sub>max</sub> explained ∼59% of STS<sub>power</sub> variance; however, both variables could not explain the 10W<sub>velocity</sub> performance (<italic>r</italic><sup><italic>2</italic></sup> ∼ 0.02). This study shows that the P<sub>max-load</sub> is similar between sexes, is resistance exercise-specific, and varies within exercises depending on the mechanical power variable used in older adults. Furthermore, this research demonstrates the influence of the MBT as an upper-limb power marker in older adults.</p>