Do the young respond more effectively to aerobic training?
In a study carried out in the University of Florida, 10 sedentary old (aged 67) males and females and 11 sedentary, young (aged 30) males and females completed a 16-week exercise programme. All subjects worked out three times per week on a treadmill and/or stair-climbing machine for around 20 to 40 minutes at approximately 60-80 per cent of maximal heart rate. At the end of 16 weeks, the young athletes had increased their maximal aerobic capacity by 12 per cent. The oldies? Hold your breath: they enhanced their capacity by 14 per cent. The researchers concluded that when training stimulus is similar, older adults could increase aerobic capacity to the same extent as young people. What scientists say Fitness protects the ageing brain:The human brain gradually loses tissue from the third decade onwards leading to decline in cognitive performance. However, recent research has shown that aerobic fitness can arrest age-related deterioration in tissue densities in the brain. More importantly
