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COMPARISON OF POWER OUTPUT AND FATIGUE IN RECREATIONALLY ACTIVE AND MASTER ATHLETE FEMALES

Abstract

Matthew S. Stone1,2, Jordan M. Glenn3, Austen Jensen1,2, Michelle Gray1,2.1University of Arkansas – Human Performance Laboratory, Fayetteville, Arkansas; 2University of Arkansas – Office for Studies on Aging, Fayetteville, Arkansas; 3 Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, Louisiana; e-mail: mss06@email.uark.edu

When researching exercise performance females, especially older females, are an understudied cohort. With age there is a loss of muscular power and muscular fatigue occurs at a quicker rate than that of younger individuals. With masters athletes (MA) becoming an ever growing group of exercisers, it is important to compare whether MA can produce rates of power and fatigue similar to those in younger athletes and examine how age affects muscular power and rates of fatigue. PURPOSE: The purpose of this experiment was to examine the differences in peak power output (PPWR), average power (APWR), total work (WRK), and fatigue index (FI) between recreationally active (RA) younger adults and MA females. METHODS: Two groups, RA (n = 15; 20.6 ± 0.8 years) and MA (n = 17; 50.5 ± 8.6 years) volunteered to be participants in this study. PPWR, APWR, WRK, and FI were measured during a maximum cycling test in which the subjects completed the Wingate protocol. Subjects completed the 30 second protocol at a predetermined resistance of 7.5% body mass. RESULTS: PPWR (p = 0.92; RA: 654.1 ± 114.5 watts; MA: 658.6 ± 147.6 W), APWR (p = .09; RA: 429.8 ± 73.3 W; MA: 384 ± 73.8 watts), WRK (p = .09; RA: 12894.3 ± 2198.3 J; MA: 18044.3 ± 27184.9 joules), and FI (p = 0.30; RA: 11.8 ± 4.1 W/s; MA: 14 ± 5.2 W/s) were not significantly different when comparing the RA to the MA groups. CONCLUSION: By observing no significant differences between the RA and MA groups we determined that MA can produce similar power and total work when compared to RA. MA also experienced similar rates of fatigue as RA. This conveys that MA are comparable to RA in different parameters of performance. With similar power outputs and rates of fatigue, we can theorize that MA are comparable in all aspects of exercise performance as RA, and therefore, further research within the MA population needs to be performed.

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