Strength of lower and upper limbs of elderly practicing and not practicing functional exercise ABSTRACTObjectives: We aimed to compare level of strength of upper and lower limbs of elderly practitioners and non-practitioners of functional fitness, Florianópolis, SC. Methodology: A quasi-experimental study with a sample of 101 elderly, 50 participants from 51 functional fitness activities and not participating in any systematic program of physical activity. Both groups went through the battery Rikli and Jones (1999), evaluation of strength and endurance of upper limb (forearm flexion) and lower (up and sit in the chair), occurred in July (pre-test) and December (posttest) 2012. We made use of the descriptive statistics and the "t" test, p <0.05. Results: Indicate that the group of practitioners has functional fitness strength of upper and lower levels at best. Conclusion: The findings suggest that participation in a regular program of exercise and targeted functional fitness, contributes effectively to the prevention and minimization of the decline in strength in elderly women.