Cardiovascular and muscular adaptations to combined endurance and strength training in elderly women

Twenty-one women aged 60-75 years were examined to determine whether combined endurance and strength training resulted in greater increase in peak oxygen consumption, sub-maximal time to fatigue, cardiac output, stroke volume, and leg extension load when compared to endurance training alone. Subjects in both the endurance training (E) and endurance and strength (E however, mean fibre area was not significantly changed by training. These data suggest that greater improvements in sub-maximal time to fatigue and strength is achieved when resistance training is added to an aerobic training programme in healthy elderly women.