Peak anaerobic power in master athletes

Summary

The age-related decline in maximal physical performance of healthy subjects may be attributed both to the aging process per se and/or to a progressive reduction in physical activity. In two groups of master athletes, power (P) or endurance (E) trained (n = 115; aged 40–78 years), the degree and rate of the age-related deterioration of the maximal instantaneous muscle power (peak power,W _peak, and the relative contribution ofquantitative (muscle mass) andqualitative factors possibly underlying such deterioration were determined. Two groups of young athletes (n = 20; 17–26 years) and healthy untrained subjects (U,n = 37; 22–67 years) were also tested for comparison. The following two variables were assessed, firstly the lower limb muscle plus bone volume (LMV) by anthropometry, and secondlyW _peak, by means of a standardized vertical jump off both feet, performed on a force platform. The results obtained were that LMV of E and P, as well as of U, was about the same between age 20 and 45 years, whereas at older ages a progressive reduction was observed; the LMV values were higher in P than in E and U. TheW _peak, expressed in W and in W·kg⁻¹ body mass, both in E and P, decreased linearly as a function of age, being at age 75 years about 50% of the value measured at age 20 years (corresponding to a reduction of about 1%year⁻¹); whenW _peak was expressed per kg of LMV, the percentage reduction between athletes aged 20 and 45 years was the same as that observed forW _peak, in W and W·kg⁻¹ body mass, whereas between age 45 and 75 years the difference was almost halved; in all age-groups (with the exception of the oldest)W _peak was higher in P than in E and in U. It was concluded that at 75 yearsW _peak was reduced, both in absolute units and per kg body mass, to about 50% of the value measured at age 20 years; up to about age 45 years such deterioration was mainly attributable toqualitative factors, whereas after that agequantitative (muscle mass) factors were also involved.