Lactate threshold during resistance exercise in elderly

Abstract

The presence of anaerobic threshold (AT) in resistance exercise has been studied in recent years. The aim of this study was to identify and to compare the AT in elderly population during leg press (LP) and bench press (BP). Fourteen elderly men (68.9 ± 4.0 years, 170.5 ± 0.05 cm e 76.1 ± 7.8 kg) performed two maximal incremental tests based on percentages of one repetition maximum (1RM) for the determination of AT during LP and BP. Blood lactate, heart rate (HR) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured at the final of each stage and it were compared between the exercises at the intensity of the AT. The level of significance was p ≤ .05.  The AT in the LP was 27.9 ± 5.0% of 1RM and in the BP was 21.5 ± 3.1% of 1RM, with statistical differences between the exercises. However, blood lactate was significantly lower on LP (1.36 ± 0.40 mmol.L-1) when compared with BP (1.92 ± 0.38 mmol.L-1). Although the intensity of AT has been different between the exercises, HR and RPE did not presented statistical significant differences. It was possible to identify the AT on elderly population during LP and BP exercises and it occurred in lower intensities for BP.