Effect Of Low-resistance Training On Body Age Of Young-older Male Adults In Samaru, Zaria, Nigeria

This study assessed the effect of low-resistance training programme on body age of youngolder male adults in Samaru, Zaria. Repeated-measures experimental research design was used for the study. Purposive sampling technique was used to select sixteen (16) young-older male adults between the ages of 60 and 69 years, who volunteered to participate in this study. The training intensity was maintained between 25 and 45% of one repetition maximum (1RM) and had two sessions per week for a duration of 12 weeks. Stop watch, stadiometer, resistance machines and body composition analyser machine were instruments used for the study. The participants trained at 25% of 1RM from base-line to 4th week, at 35% of 1RM from 4th to 8th week and at 45% of 1RM from 8th to 12th week. The body age was assessed at base-line, at the end of 4th, 8th and 12th week of the training period. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used to answer the research question while inferential statistics of analysis of variance and Scheffe’s post-hoc were used to test the stated hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. At the end of the 12 weeks training period, the major findings from the study showed significant reduction in body age (p = 0.000), therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected. The Scheffe post-hoc test further showed significant means difference in the decreasing effect on the body age (p = 0.000) between base-line and 4th week, 4th and 8th week, 8th and 12th week of training. In conclusion, low-resistance training from 25-45% of 1RM reduced body age of the young-older male adults. It was further recommended that young-older male adults should train more at low-resistance intensity between 25 and 45% of 1RM to reduce body age.