Resumen de Familiarization and Reliability of One Repetition Maximum Strength Testing in Older Women
Matheus Amarante do Nascimento, Renata Selvatici Borges Januário, Aline Mendes Gerage, Jerry L. Mayhew, Fábio Luiz Cheche Pina, Edilson Serpeloni Cyrino
Strength is a fundamental component of physical fitness, and therefore should be precisely assessed. The purpose of this study was to analyze the number of testing sessions required to achieve consistent 1 repetition maximum (1RM) strength measurements in untrained older women. Forty-five untrained older women were measured for 1RM in bench press machine (BP), leg extension (LE) machine, and free weight arm curl (AC). Reliability coefficients for trials 1 and 2 for BP (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.973) and LE (ICC = 0.976) were higher than for AC (ICC = 0.953). Percent change from trial 1 to 2 for BP (3.5 ± 10.9%) and AC (3.8 ± 8.1%) was less than for LE (5.4 ± 6.2%), but all were significant increases between trials (p < 0.05). Trial differences were reduced to nonsignificant levels (p > 0.05) in the third trial for BP (0.0 ± 0.0%), LE (1.2 ± 3.0%) and AC (2.7 ± 5.9%). Reliability coefficients rose for BP and LE (ICC = 0.999) and AC (ICC = 0.963) when a third trial was performed. Bland and Altman plotting showed very small bias and limits of agreement (LoA) for both the exercises (BP: bias = 0 kg, limits of agreement = 0 kg; LE: bias = -0.16 kg, LoA = 2.21 kg; AC: bias = -0.11 kg, LoA = 1.72 kg). This approach to determine 1RM strength values produced rapid lifting technique familiarization resulting in a need of 2 to 3 test sessions to achieve consistent 1RM measurements in untrained older women.
