Effect of Exercise Training on Physical Activity and Substrate Utilization in the Elderly

This study examined the effect of training on physical activity and substrate utilization in the elderly. Before the start, in week 6 and week 12 (T0, T6 and T12) data on physical fitness, physical activity and substrate utilization were collected in the exercise (11 males, 11 females; 63 +/- 8yrs) and control group (6 males, 5 females; 59 +/- 4yrs). Physical activity was registered with a tri-axial accelerometer and substrate utilization was calculated from resting respiratory exchange ratio (RER) by indirect calorimetry. At T6 physical activity on training days was significantly higher than on non-training days (33.4 +/- 10.3 vs. 26.5 +/- 7.8 counts x min(-1); p