Strength training effect in young and aged women.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of isometric strength training of the nondominant left abductor digiti minimi muscles of young and aged women. The ten young subjects, mean age 22.6 years, were all nursing students. The ten older subjects, mean age 69.2 years, did not constitute a similar homogeneous group, although they all lived in the metropolitan area of Richmond, VA. All subjects were volunteers. Training consisted of each subject performing 20 maximal isometric contractions of the left abductor digiti minimi three times weekly for six weeks. A pretest and six weekly measurements of strength were made on a strain gauge. Significant strength increases were found for the pretest-posttest measurements within each group at the same p less than 0.0001 level. When both groups were compared on the initial strength measurement and on the six weekly measurements, no statistically significant differences were found. Therefore, the null hypothesis was accepted.