Although further studies are required, SSE is apparently more effective than walking in reducing fall risk factors, and it appears that it may be recommended as a health promotion exercise in older adults.

dance-based aerobic exercise specifically designed for older women may improve selected components of balance and locomotion/agility, thereby attenuating risks of falling.

This review examines the influences of physiological aging processes on connective tissue, joint integrity, flexibility (range of motion [ROM]), and physical functions of older adults. Studies that attempted to improve older adults' ROM are also critiqued. Multiple mechanisms of musculoskeletal and soft-tissue degeneration, as well as disease processes (osteoporosis, arthritis, atherosclerosis), contribute to significant decreases in neuromuscular function and ROM in older adults, all of which can be exacerbated by disuse influences. No delineation of disuse effects on the rate of aging-related decrements in ROM can be provided, however, because long-term investigations (with physical activity controls) have not been conducted. Research efforts have documented both upper and lower extremity decrements in ROM with development of physical impairments, reductions in basic and instrumental activities of daily living, and progression of disability. There is limited research evidence that either specialized stretch-training or general-exercise intervention protocols moderately improve ROM in older adults and the frail elderly.

This study evaluates the physical and physiological ability of selected soccer players of Kunimi High School in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. The Kunimi team is famous for its intensive training, and had won the championship of the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament six times by 2003. We measured physique, body composition, and maximal oxygen uptake of 72 members aged between 16 and 18 years old between 1986 and 1994. They consisted of 66 outfield players (12 forward players, 23 midfielders, 31 defenders) and 6 goalkeepers. Body density was measured by the under-water weighing method, and Brozek's equation was applied to calculate percentage body fat (%Fat, %), fat-free mass (FFM, kg), FFM/height (FFM/Ht, kg · m Ϫ1 ), and FFM index (FFM/Ht 3 , kg · m Ϫ3 ). The following results were obtained: 1. The average of 66 outfield players was 172.7 cm of height, 64.6 kg of weight, 54.0 cm of girth of thigh, and 90.0 cm of girth of hip, 9.3% of %Fat, 58.6 kg of FFM, 33.9 kg · m Ϫ1 of FFM/Ht and 113.8 kg · m Ϫ3 of FFM index. The mean vital capacity was 4.25 L and total lung capacity was 5.58 L. The mean maximal ventilation was 138.7 L · min Ϫ1 , VO 2 max was 3.95 L · min Ϫ1 , and VO 2 max/Wt was 61.4 ml · kg Ϫ1 · min Ϫ1 . 2. Goalkeepers were taller and heavier than outfielders, and had a smaller mean value of VO 2 max/Wt than outfielders (pϽ0.01). 3. For 23 out of the 72 players measured twice with an interval of about one year, FFM increased and %Fat reduced significantly, while V E max, VO 2 max and VO 2 max/Wt did not change. Kunimi players of the present study had as large a VO 2 max/Wt as local players, and a similar or slightly smaller VO 2 max/Wt than national-level players. They had similar %Fat and a similar VO 2 max/Wt with professional soccer players in England (Davis et al., 1992) while they had much smaller physiques.

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of rate of perceived exertion (RPE) to monitor exercise intensity in older adults. Middle-aged (46.9 ± 7.0 years, n = 24) and older women (75.5 ± 3.8 years, n = 29) performed a graded maximal exercise test on a cycle ergometer while RPE, oxygen uptake, heart rate, and blood lactate levels were measured. The Pearson's productmoment correlation coefficient between RPE and oxygen uptake for each stage of the graded exercise test was calculated for each participant. The mean coefficient for the older group (r = .954) was similar to that of middle-aged group (r = .963). The autocorrelation coefficient was much lower (r = .411) in the older group than in the middle-aged group (r = .871). Variability in RPE through the graded exercise test was similar between the two groups. In conclusion, RPE was strongly associated with oxygen uptake in the older group. These results indicate that RPE is effective in monitoring exercise intensity in older adults.