Do the Elderly Need Anaerobic Lactic Workouts?

Training elderly adults can be fun and gratifying. But because the older adult population exhibits a broad spectrum of health and musculoskeletal disorders, striking a balance between safety and overload can be a challenge. Deciding whether or not to challenge your elderly adult's anaerobic threshold depends on their individual health status, fitness level and training goals.

  1. Lactate Threshold and Aging

    • Declines in physical performance are inevitable with aging, despite efforts of older adults to maintain or improve upon their fitness levels. A 2007 article published in the "Journal of Physiology" explored the specific mechanism affecting performance in Masters-level athletes, including maximal oxygen consumption, or VO2 max, lactate threshold, or LT, and exercise economy. The researchers found that a progressive reduction in VO2 max appears to be the primary cause of declines in endurance performance beyond the age of 60. A secondary cause is a reduction in lactate threshold, which is the exercise intensity at which blood lactate concentration increases significantly above baseline levels.

    Elderly Benefits of LT Training

    • Anaerobic training, along with training just below LT, can be beneficial for elderly adults. In his book, "Sports-Specific Rehabilitation," rehabilitation and performance expert Robert Donatelli, Ph.D. PT, notes that despite a decline in anaerobic variables, older adults can successfully participate in anaerobic training. (reference 5, p. 59) The American College of Sports Medicine contends that older adults adapt to endurance training as well as their younger counterparts, resulting in increases of 10 to 30 percent in VO2 max in previously untrained individuals. Depending on an elderly adult's health and fitness status, the ACSM recommends training intensities ranging from 55 to 90 percent of maximum heart rate.

    LT Training and Cognitive Function

    • In addition to cardiovascular health benefits, endurance training performed near LT can improve cognitive function in elderly adults. A 2009 study published in the "Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research" found that bouts of training at close to lactate threshold resulted in immediate improvements in cognitive performance in elderly women, including improvements in alertness and the processing of executive functions. The researchers recommended a customized exercise program based on the lactate threshold of older adults to optimize the beneficial effects.

    Defining Training Goals

    • Whether or not your elderly adult needs to exercise at or near anaerobic lactate threshold depends on their training goals and fitness level. For elderly Masters level athletes, anaerobic training can help maintain VO2 max and LT values. The IDEA Health and Fitness Association recommends incorporating interval training once or twice per week, using high-intensity intervals lasting 30 seconds to two minutes with a work-to-rest ratio of 1:3. For example, after a warm up, exercise at all-out intensity for 30 seconds, followed by 90 seconds at a low-to-moderate intensity. Repeat this cycle three to five times. For frail or unfit older adults, the ACSM recommends you begin with an intensity of 55 percent of maximal heart rate for 20 minutes, gradually increasing the duration and intensity as your older adult becomes more fit.