Effects of High-Intensity Endurance Training on Maximal Oxygen Consumption in Healthy Elderly People

The primary intent of this study was to determine whether high-intensity endurance training increased maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) in an older adult population. Twenty-one healthy, untrained men and women (69.7 years, SD 2.7 years) participated and were randomly assigned to a high-intensity training group (TG) (n = 10) and a control group (CG) (n = 11). The TG trained three times a week for 10 weeks. Each 60-minute training session included four repetitions of exercise at approximately 85% to 95% of maximal heart rate separated by 4-minuterest periods. The control group was encouraged to perform no additive strength or endurance training during the study period. Maximal oxygen consumption increased significantly (p < .05) (13.2%) in the TG compared to the CG. Walking economy and maximal walking speed were unchanged after the training intervention. This training study demonstrates that high-intensity endurance training significantly improves VO2max in older adults.