Selective Maintenance of Motor Performance in Older Adults From Long-Lasting Sport Practice

Analysis of Common Exercise Modalities in Improving Athletic Performance in Older Adults: A Narrative Review

ABSTRACT

Exercise leads to robust cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and psychological benefits that improve quality of life and longevity for older adults, but accompanying improvements in athletic parameters are less well explored. The aim of this review is to summarize some of the most common exercise modalities, namely, Pilates, martial arts (tai chi, Japanese-style karate, hard martial arts), locomotion (brisk walking/jogging and running), Masters sports, resistance training, and high-intensity interval training, in improving athletic performance for older adults. Regular participation in these activities can have robust yet unique impacts on physical performance that prolong exercise participation. In particular, this review will explore benefits in cardiorespiratory fitness, power, strength, flexibility, and balance, thereby hopefully improving endurance, exercise adherence, and overall fall risk. A narrative literature review was performed to explore benefits, pitfalls, and recommendations for some of the most popular exercise modalities for older adults.

What Do We Know About the Value of Sport for Older Adults? A Scoping Review

Issues relating to older adults in sport are ongoing topics of interest among sport scientists; however, our knowledge on how older athletes have been studied is incomplete, which has implications for understanding the comprehensiveness of this evidence base. This scoping review aimed to provide an overview of how sport and older adults have been studied since the first World Masters Games. Data on research topics, research methods, sport-specific information, and demographic information on older athletes were collected and reviewed. Results suggest older athletes who are White, male, and competitive athletes have largely been the focus of research. In addition, results highlight an alarming number of unreported data related to the demographics of athlete samples. As a result, the well-documented benefits of sport may reflect a homogenous group of older adults, limiting our overall understanding of aging and sport and the value of this research for developing evidence-informed policy.

Experiences Influencing Walking Football Initiation in 55- to 75-Year-Old Adults: A Qualitative Study

Adults aged 55 and older are least likely to play sport. Despite research suggesting this population experiences physical and psychological benefits when doing so, limited research focuses on older adult sport initiation, especially in "adapted sports" such as walking football. The aim of this study was to explore initiation experiences of walking football players between 55 and 75 years old. Semistructured interviews took place with 17 older adults playing walking football for 6 months minimum (Mage = 64). Inductive analysis revealed six higher order themes representing preinitiation influences. Eight further higher order themes were found, relating to positive and negative experiences during initiation. Fundamental influences preinitiation included previous sporting experiences and values and perceptions. Emergent positive experiences during initiation included mental development and social connections. Findings highlight important individual and social influences when initiating walking football, which should be considered when encouraging 55- to 75-year-old adults to play adapted sport. Policy and practice recommendations are discussed.

Does physical activity benefit motor performance and learning of upper extremity tasks in older adults? - A systematic review

Upper extremity motor performance declines with increasing age. However, older adults need to maintain, learn new and relearn known motor tasks. Research with young adults indicated that regular and acute physical activity might facilitate motor performance and motor learning processes. Therefore, this review aimed to examine the association between chronic physical activity and acute bouts of exercise on motor performance and motor learning in upper extremity motor tasks in older adults. Literature was searched via Cochrane library, PubMED, PsycINFO and Scopus and 27 studies met all inclusion criteria. All studies dealt with the influence of chronic physical activity on motor performance or motor learning, no appropriate study examining the influence of an acute bout of exercise in older adults was found. Results concerning the association of chronic physical activity and motor performance are mixed and seem to be influenced by the study design, kind of exercise, motor task, and exercise intensity. Regarding motor learning, a high physical activity or cardiovascular fitness level seems to boost the initial phase of motor learning; results differ with respect to motor retention. Overall, (motor-coordinative) intervention studies seem to be more promising than cross-sectional studies.