Age Related Changes In Hand Grip Strength And Motor Dexterity After Four Weeks Of Training

It is well established that declines in functional ability accompany advancing age. Consequently, this may lead to diminished strength and coordination across the lifespan. Resistance training has long been prescribed to improve mobility and generate greater independence. Therefore, further exploration of the influence of resistance training on strength and dexterity is warranted. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to determine if four weeks of hand grip training leads to alterations in hand grip strength and motor dexterity. We hypothesized that training would induce changes in motor dexterity speed, however, we suspect changes in grip strength may be minimal. METHODS: 28 subjects (18-71 yrs.; n = 14 young, 14 older) completed this study. Hand grip strength (MVC) and motor dexterity (Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test) were recorded before (PRE) and after (POST) four weeks of hand resistance training in both arms. Training was conducted three times per week with the use of hand grippers, grip bands and grip rings. RESULTS: Two-way mixed factorial ANOVAs (age × time) were conducted to determine changes in MVC strength and manual dexterity speed. The young group showed a 7.8% increase in hand grip strength, while the older training group showed a 1.5% increase (p = 0.007). For the manual dexterity test, results indicated that the young group had a 10.8% increase in dexterity speed, and the older group has a 7.4% increase in speed after the training (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Findings showed that four weeks of resistance training improves hand grip strength in adults, however to a smaller magnitude in older adults. It is plausible to suggest that the duration (four weeks) of this training may have inhibited greater neural adaptations from occurring in the older adults. Changes in motor dexterity speed were identified in both groups. The inclusion of controls and familiarization to the dexterity assessments will provide useful information on strength and motor changes associated with resistance training. FUNDING: Supported by the Central States ACSM Doctoral Student Research Grant. Central States ACSM