Age as a determining factor of the improvement of physical condition in a swimming program belonging to a sports school

Abstract

Purpose: The aims of this study was to analyze the effect of a physical activity program on physical condition in healthy adults and valorate if aging is conditionating the improvement of the program. Method: Two groups of ten females aged 20-25 years (group N30) and 60-.72 years (group N60) respectively. Both groups completed a swimming program for 5 month with a frecuency of two sesions by week. Test battery was composed by hand grip strenght test, sit and reach test, flamingo test, countermovement jump test and two kilometers walking test. Result: There are stadistic significattive diferences between both group in the pre-test evaluation in oxigen consuption, right hand grip strenght, left hand grip strenght and counter movement jump. It were obtained really lower values in N60 group in respect to N30 group. After the program benefics were significattive better in oxigen uptake in N30 group (4,9 ml•kg-1•min-1) , however in N60 group only 0,7 ml•kg-1•min-1. Conclusion: The development of a physical program in the organizative structure of a sport public center produces significatives improvements in oxigen uptake on adults women. Hand grip strenght, trunke movility, stability and arm strenght have not stadistical modifications after the program. For that reason, in physical condition, only aerobic capacity progress is conditioned by age.