Muscular strength profiles and anthropometry in random samples of men aged 31–35, 51–55 and 71–75 years

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Abstract
Maximal isometric muscular strength and anthropometric characteristics were studied among three random samples each containing about 180 Finnish men belonging to three generation cohorts, and having a mean age of 32·9 ± 1·4, 53·1 ± 1·5 and 72·7± 1·4 years. Strength was measured on special dynamometers for grip, trunk and knee extension and trunk and elbow flexion. The anthropometric characteristics included body height, weight, body-mass index, skeletal weight, fat weight and a weight factor. The youngest cohort had the highest and the oldest cohort the lowest values for strength as well as body height and fat-free body weight, while the middle-aged group had the highest and the youngest group the lowest values for body weight, fat weight, body-mass index and for the weight factor. In correlation analysis grip strength was found to have the highest correlation with chronological age and to be least affected by the body anthropometric variables among the strength variables studied. On a percentage scale the decline of strength from the youngest to the oldest cohort was in the order: knee extension (47%), hand grip (42%), trunk extension (42%), trunk flexion (35%) and elbow flexion (35%). The body-mass index was found to be an important variable to be controlled in studying differences between age groups in muscle strength.