Many of the physiological responses concomitant with exercise are understood. Similarly, many of the changes characterizing the aging process have been established. However, the combination of the two (ie. effects of aging on exercise or vice versa) presents a myriad of questions, of which many remain unanswered.The objective of this study was to establish the differences between previously untrained young and adult male Fischer 344 rats following an exhaustive swim for the following parameters: 1) muscle glycogen, an essential fuel substrate; 2) Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), a marker of inflammation and tissue damage; 3) citrate synthase (CS), an integral enzyme of the Kreb's cycle and a respiratory chain marker; 4) muscle protein; and 5) percent muscle dry weight.The rats were divided into two groups by age. Young (3 mo., n=16) and adult (12 mo., n=17) rats were randomly divided into sedentary (young sed (YSD) n=7 and adult sed (ASD) n=9) or exercised groups (young swimmers (YSW) n=8 and adult swimmers (ASW) n=8). Rats in the swimming groups were given a brief exposure to the water one week prior to their exhaustive swim to minimize the stress and confusion during the actual exercise bout. On the study days one randomly selected swimmer from each age group was swum to exhaustion and sacrificed via pneumothorax. One animal from each of the respective sedentary age groups was also randomly selected and sacrificed as above. The plantaris, rectus femoris, red vastus, soleus, triceps, and liver were surgically excised from each animal and frozen in liquid nitrogen for later analysis.While the younger animals had lower glycogen stores initially, following the exhaustive swim their reduction in muscle glycogen was approximately 150% that of the adult animals for any given muscle. Muscle glycogen levels in ASD and YSD rats were significantly higher than those of the YSW animals for all muscles with the exception of the YSD's soleus. However, the percent decrease in liver glycogen following the swim for the two age groups was almost identical (a reduction of 55.05% and 58.59% for the adult and young age groups, respectively).Although the adult animals were significantly heavier than the younger rats, this did not appear to cause a significant difference in their swim time to exhaustion. No significant differences were observed between the groups for muscle protein or G6PDH. Levels of CS were significantly higher in the YSD plantaris when compared to the ASW. Similarly, the ASD rectus femoris CS levels were significantly greater than those of the ASW. Although significant differences between groups in percent muscle dry weight existed for the plantaris, rectus femoris, and triceps such differences seemed to have little bearing on the two age group's swim to exhaustion times.On the basis of this study it was concluded that although starting with greater glycogen stores prior to exercise, adult animals use less of this substrate prior to exhaustion than do younger animals. While the mechanism for such a phenomenon was not discovered it is believed to be enzymatic in nature. Furthermore, the adult animals do not appear to exhibit significantly more tissue damage following an exhaustive swim than that seen in younger animals. / School of Physical Education

The recent American college of Sports Medicine Position Stand concerning the quantity and quality of exercise for developing cardiovascular fitness (1) suggests a need for more information concerning the rate of improvement in aerobic power as a function of age. Therefore, the purpose of this retrospective study was to assess whether the change in maximal oxygen uptake (AVO2max) following endurance training varies as a function of age. Subjects were healthy men (N=277) and women (N=161), ranging in age from 20-72 years, who completed an endurance training program (= 3-5 months) between 1972 and 1987. The standard training stimulus consisted of individualized aerobic exercise (walking, walk-jog, or jogging) at about 75-85% maximal heart rate reserve for = 30-60 minutes, 3-4 sessions per week. A description of the %OVO2max expressed in relative and absolute terms, ± SEE are presented below.Variable20-29 yrs30-39 yrs40-49 yrs50-59 yrs60-69 yrsM 9/6AV02max ml•kg-1-min-'17.1 ± 13.220.0 ± 11.817.3 ± 13.319.5 ± 13.719.8 ± 9.1M%%OV02maxLmin-112.6 ± 10.616.0 ± 11.514.7 ± 11.616.6 ± 15.116.2 ± 9.8F °/oA VO2max mlkg''•min-'16.3 ± 9.022.5 ± 13.119.0 ± 10.917.6 ± 13.415.4 ± 6.8F%OV02maxL.min-'15.2±12.321.7±12.716.6±11.515.7±13.411.9±9.8N=Men women)20(17)87(54)112(51)46(30)12(9)A stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between age and %OVO2max in both relative and absolute units, after adjusting for other parameters known to effect the training response. After adjusting for pre-training VO2max.(ml-kg-1-min-1) there was a significant negative correlation between OVO2max and age in both men (r = -0.31, p < 0.01) and women(r = -0.37, p < 0.01). When expressed as %OVO2max (L•min-1), the resultsrevealed the same age trend as that observed for the relative unit. Since the AVO2max after =3-5 months of training decreased as a function of age, this study supported the contention that training adaptations may be attenuated with increased age. / School of Physical Education

The use of Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) by those with Diabetes Mellitus participating in physical activity has not been clearly addressed. The American College of Sports Medicine has suggested that RPE may be used with diseased populations, including those with Non-insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM), but no specific guidelines for RPE use have been established for this population. The purpose of this study was to compare the RPE during graded exercise for the individuals with NIDDM and apparently healthy individuals. Specific comparisons of the RPE at the ventilatory threshold and at 60% and 80% of maximal oxygen uptake were made.Seven subjects with NIDDM were paired with seven apparently healthy CONTROLS of similar age, weight, and gender. All subjects performed a maximal graded exercise test (GXT) on a motor driven treadmill per Bruce Ramp protocol. Rate of perceived exertion was taken every minute using Borg's 6-20 point scale (Borg 1973). All subjects were given the same instructions for use of the RPE scale and were queried by the same technician. An analysis of variance was performed with a significance level set of ps0.05. Statistical analysis revealed no significant differences between the two groups for all demographic variables measured including age, weight, height, body mass index (BMI) and percent body fat. No significant difference was seen for maximal exercise data including RER, RPE, V02, and heart rate. Maximal V02 was 31.1 ± 8.2 ml•kg-lmin-l SD for the NIDDM group and 38.7 ± 11.6 for the CONTROL group when expressed in weight relative terms. Maximal heart rates for the NIDDM and CONTROL groups were 176.9 ± 17.9 bpm and 176.4 ± 8.8 bpm respectively. Ventilatory threshold (VT), heart rate at VT and percentage of VO2 at which VT occurred were not significantly different between groups.No statistically significant differences were seen between the NIDDM or the CONTROL group for RPE at the selected intensities. RPE at the VT was 13.0 ± 3.6 and 12.3 ± 1.8 for the NIDDM and CONTROL groups respectively. RPE at 60% of functional capacity was 13.3 ± 3.5 for the NIDDM group and 12.0 ± 1.7 for the CONTROL group. Likewise, no statistical difference was seen at 80% of functional capacity. The NIDDM group RPE was 16.1 ± 2.5 and the CONTROL group rating was 15.9 ± 2.0, respectively. Under the terms of this study those individuals with NIDDM perceived exertion similarly to the CONTROL group. / School of Physical Education

Progressive resistance training (PRT) in the elderly has commonly used ATPase histochemistry to evaluate fiber type changes, but evidence shows there are myosin heavy chain (MHC) hybrids in aging muscle that cannot be classified by histochemistry. The purpose of this study was to assess the MHC and whole muscle alterations following a 12-week PRT protocol. Seven healthy men (age=74.0±4.7, weight=74.6±13.5kg) underwent testing for 1-repetition maximum (1-RM), whole muscle (thigh) crosssectional area (CSA) by computed tomography, and a needle muscle biopsy from the vastus lateralis for analysis of MHC, pre- and post-training. The PRT consisted of 2 sets of 10 repetitions, and a third set to volitional exhaustion at 80% 1-RM, 3 days per week for 12 weeks. Muscle ATPase histochemistry analysis for distribution did not significantly differ following training. Muscle samples were freeze dried and dissected for MHC analysis (sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (5% gel) and silver stained; 224.0±11.2 and 213.0±8.1 fibers/subject pre-/post-training; total fibers analyzed=3059). MHC analysis demonstrated significant increases in MHC I proportion (10.4%; P<0.05), and significant decreases in MHC UIIa (9.0%; P<0.05), UIIa/x (0.9%; P<0.05), and IIa/x (8.9%; P<0.05) isofroms, along with no change in the MHC Ila and IIx isoforms, pre- versus post-training. In addition, 1-RM (51.9%; P<0.05) and CSA (5.9%; P<0.05) increased from pre- to post-testing. This data supports previous whole muscle changes, more important, is the increase in MHC I and decrease in MHC I/IIa, I/IIa/IIx, and IIa/x hybrids. The myosin light chain 3f (MLC3f) to MLC 2 ratio did not change with the PRT in either the MHC I or MHC IIa isoforms, although there was a significantly greater amount of MLC 3f in the MHC Ila versus the MHC I fibers (p<0.05), pre- and post-training. The myosin isofrom data provides support that aging muscle has the plasticity to adapt in a manner unlike that of young muscle. / School of Physical Education

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the intermodal reliability of perceptually-based exercise intensity among four machines: Treadmill (TM), Stationary cycle (CB), Body Trec elliptical arm/leg (BT), and AirDyne (AD). Nineteen subjects (8 male and 11 female; age 44 + 12 yrs) completed one GXT on each of the machines, following a mode-specific protocol. Subjects also completed two 15 minute production trials (PTs) on each machine at self-selected workrates corresponding to target RPEs of 11-12 (L) and 15-16 (H). In the PTs, workloads were self-adjusted through the first 5 minutes and then remained stable for the rest of the trial. Modes were randomly assigned, and subjects were blinded to the workload throughout each trial. Heart rate (HR) and oxygen uptake (V02) were obtained during the final 5 min. of each trial using a Polar HR monitor and Aerosport TEEM 100. Also, blood lactate (BLC) was sampled immediately following exercise at each intensity. Intermodal reliability was assessed using ANOVA, intraclass correlations (R), coefficients of variation (CV), and mean absolute differences for HR, V02, and BLC during the second PT. ANOVA revealed nointeraction for BLC at either the LOW or HIGH. Post -hoc analysis showed the TM and/or BT to produce significantly higher physiological responses at both intensity levels. At the L and H, intermodal Rs were: HR (.84/.88), VO2 (8/.77) and BLC (0.09/0.67). Significant intrasubject differences were observed at the L for HR (11-47bpm, VO2 (.04-1.46 L/min), and BLC (.29-12.94 mM/L). The H trials followed a very similar trend. Using a HR criteria of +2 beats/15 sec. to assess intrasubject reliability, 0% of the subjects were reliable at both the L and H. This data suggests that perceptually-based exercise across multiple modes is associated with significant intraindividual variability, and reliability is dependent upon the statistical design and physiological variable being used. In conclusion, it is recommended that extensive exercise testing be performed to ensure that individual participants can reliably use the RPE scale, prior to using an RPE value to prescribe the intensity of exercise. / School of Physical Education

Access to abstract permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only / School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science

The impact forces at landing are predominately absorbed by the hip, knee and ankle joints. Fatigue has been shown to increase the amount of work performed by the ankle and to reduce the work performed by the knee during landings. The purpose of this study was to assess the kinematic lower extremity motion and kinetic patterns during landings to fatigue, with and without ankle brace usage. Nine recreationally active males (n = 7) and females (n = 2) performed repetitive drop jumps to fatigue for an un-braced and braced condition. Kinematic and kinetic variables were assessed during the first 100 ms after ground impact. Due to the high skill level of the participants, none of the individuals reached a fatigued state. No significant main effect of fatigue was demonstrated on ankle work (p= 0.260). There was no significant main effect due to fatigue on the hip (p= 1.000), knee (p= 1.000) or ankle (p= 0.636) relative work contributions. Fatigue caused a shift toward a more erect landing position at initial ground contact (IGC). No significant main effect of the brace on hip (p= 0.437), knee (p= 0.283) or ankle (p= 0.314) angles was observed at IGC angles. The use of Ankle Stabilizing Orthosis® (ASO) ankle braces caused a shift toward greater knee contribution in a fatigued state. Plantar flexion angles were decreased the most during the braced un-fatigued condition. There was an inverse relationship between knee and hip angles as compared to ankle angles at IGC. When the hip and knee joint displayed less flexion at IGC, the ankle balanced the positions out by landing in more plantar flexion. / School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science

The purpose of this research study was to examine the effects of consumption of beverages (caffeinated and alcoholic) and physical activity on the frequency and severity of hot flashes in peri-menopausal, menopausal, and post-menopausal women by conducting an on-line survey of women over the age of 40 employed at a Midwestern University. One-hundred ninety-six women participated in this study. Majority of participants were age 50-59 (n=104, 53.1%), and were in the naturally post-menopausal reproductive stage (n=81, 41.3%). Overall, results revealed that the effects of self-reported physical activity, average daily caffeine and alcohol intake were not significant in predicting the frequency of hot flashes (R2=.043, F(6, 184) = 1.39, p= .221). However, results revealed a small, but statistically significant effect of physical activity, caffeine, and alcohol intake on severity of hot flashes (R2=.068, F(6,180) = 2.195, p = .046). Additionally, relatively more participation in aerobic physical activity increased frequency of hot flashes (p= .031); while higher intensity of aerobic physical activity had an inverse relationship on both frequency and severity of hot flashes (p=.011, p=.003, respectively). / Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

Access to abstract permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only / School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science

Access to abstract permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only / School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science