Body Composition and Physiological Responses of Masters Female Swimmers 20 to 70 Years of Age

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Abstract
Eighty-seven female masters swimmers ranging in age from 20 to 69 were selected for a detailed study of their body composition and physiological responses at rest and during exercise. These women were then placed into two subsets, a highly trained group and a not highly trained group, on the basis of the frequency, duration, and intensity of swimming workouts. Significant differences were detected when comparing the highly trained and not highly trained subjects on measures of weight, body density, percent fat and lean body weight (p<.05). Significant differences which favored the highly trained group were also seen when comparing these same two groups for [Vdot]E max, [Vdot]O2 max (1/min), [Vdot]O2 max (ml·kg–1·min–1), [Vdot]O2 max (ml·kg·LBW–1·min–1), O2 pulse (ml·kg–1·beat–1), and O2 pulse (ml·kg·LBW–1). Both the highly trained and not highly trained swimmers were considerably lower in percent fat than previously reported data for normal untrained women of similar ages. In both groups, however, percent fat across age levels within each training group showed significant increases at approximately 40 years of age (p<.05). In the highly trained swimmers, [Vdot]O2 max (ml·kg–1·min–1) decreased at a mean rate of about 7% per decade, while in the not highly trained swimmers the decline was approximately 8% per decade. It appears that the rate of decline in [Vdot]O2 max in women with aging may be independent of training status.