36 Feasibility of Resistance Exercise to Failure at Different Loads in Frail and Healthy Older Adults?

Abstract

Introduction Resistance training (RT) is the most effective way to increasemuscle mass and function in older adults both with/withoutsarcopenia/frailty. In younger adults, when RT is performed tomuscle failure the load lifted does not mediate the magnitude of response, but there are no studies in older adults. We aimed todetermine the feasibility of recruitment to a RT interventionworking to muscle failure at different loads in frail and healthyolder adults. Methods We performed an 8‐week randomised feasibility trial of lowerlimb RT to volitional muscular failure, at high and low load.Participants were recruited via hospital outpatient clinics and newspaper advertisements. Outcomes included: frailty assessment(Fried criteria); muscle strength (maximum voluntarycontraction/one‐repetition maximum); functional abilities (ShortPhysical Performance Battery); safety/adverse events wererecorded via a log, and patient experiences from focus groups. Results 110 people were assessed for eligibility, and 58 randomised (frail n = 6, prefrail n = 20, robust n = 32) to either high (n = 30) or low load(n = 28) groups. Mean age of participants was 72 years (range 65‐93), 36 were female, 22 male. Session attendance was 95% (highload) and 90.4% (low load). Most participants were recruited viaadvertisements. All participants reported feeling safe and reassured in the RT sessions. Two participants had a seriousadverse event, one related to RT (hypotension) and several hadadverse events (three intervention‐related). Pain was reported atboth loads (high n = 9, low n = 8) yet all completed. There were nodifferences (P > 0.05) in effects of RT outcome variables betweenlow and high load groups. Conclusion In this feasibility trial the recruitment of frail patients via clinicswas limited. Performing supervised RT to muscle failure in olderadults was safe/acceptable and the load at which RT wasperformed did not influence its efficacy. Future research into theeffectiveness of such RT is warranted.