Abstract

Age-dependent changes of the indices of aerobic capacity were estimated in sixty-six former elite rowers and kayakers aged 30 to 67 years who were divided, according to their present recreational physical activity, into the active (A) and less active (LA) groups. The maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) was higher in the A than the LA group. Compared to latter group, the former subjects demonstrated faster age-related annual reduction of the maximal oxygen uptake expressed in l•min-1 (1.4% vs. 0.6%; p<0.001), the oxygen uptake at the anaerobic threshold workload (1.1% vs. 0.4%; p<0.05), and the maximal oxygen pulse (1.0% vs. 0.4%; p<0.05). Also, VO2max expressed in ml•kg-1•min-1 strongly tended to decline faster with age in the active than the less active subjects (1.2% vs. 0.8%; p<0.1). Values of the oxygen pulse at submaximal workload, the PWC130 index, the anaerobic threshold expressed as %VO2max, and the oxygen cost of work were not significantly affected by age. Verf.-Referat