PSU Magazine Summer 1988

I RESEARCH Gain without Pain Aerobic workouts based on a safe) new) fitness testing method are being developed for older Amencans through PSU Photographs by Claude Neujfer m 10 R unning... Walking.. . Aerobic dance... For many Americans the fitness craze has got them up and moving. Regular workouts can lessen stress, waist sizes and even the aches and pains from sum– mer yard work. Today, the benefits of regular ex– ercise are hardly debatable. But what about for the elderly or for those recuperating from serious il– lness? A medically-approved exercise program makes good sense. However, before prescribing one, health specialists often put subjects through rigorous physical tests to determine their capacity for exercise. Daunting tests with potentially harmful results to those not already in good condition or with un– suspected heart disease. Now, a research study at PSU has shown that you needn't push people to the point of exhaustion to measure their personal fitness. Using a system called a "sub-maximal E.M.G. (electromyographic) test," PSU researchers produced fitness assessments every bit as reliable as the popular treadmill tests which re– quire maximal oxygen consumption and exertion. This research also has docu - mented the improved physical work responses of scores of younger and older exercise volunteers as they took part in a standard aerobic training and conditioning program over several weeks. Pedaling for health and for science, this elderly test subject is monitored at the Metro YMCA by Jane Loverin ('76 MST) and Michael Tichy, PSU professor of Health and Physical Education.