To evaluate the effects of 26 wk of aerobic and resistance training on the incidence of injury and program adherence in 70 to 79 year old men and women, 57 healthy volunteers (25 males, 32 females) were randomly assigned to a walk/job (W/J, n = 21), strength (STREN, n = 23), or control (CONT, n = 13) group. Walk/jog training was for 30 to 45 min, 3 d/wk with intensity equal to 40 to 70% heart rate max reserve (HRmax reserve) during the first 13 wk, and 75 to 85% HRmax reserve for weeks 14 to 26. STREN training consisted of one set (10 to 12 repetitions) each of 10 variable resistance exercises performed to volitional fatigue. Forty-nine of the original participants completed the training program. Walk/jog training increased VO2max from 22.5 to 27.1 ml/kg/min (p = 0.05) while STREN and CONT showed no change. STREN improved significantly in chest press and leg extension strength (p = 0.05) while W/J and CONT showed no change. Adherence to training was 20/23 (87%) and 17/21 (81%) in STREN AND W/J, respectively. One repetition maximum (1-RM) strength testing resulted in 11 injuries in the 57 subjects (19.3%) while STREN training resulted in only two injuries in 23 subjects (8.7%). Walk training during weeks 1 to 13 resulted in one injury in 21 subjects (4.8%). Eight of 14 subjects (57%) who began jogging intervals at week 14 incurred an injury: two of eight (25%) of the men and all of the women (6 of 6). All W/J training injuries were to the lower extremity. Only one dropout occurred due to injury. The results showed that 70 to 79 yr olds make significant improvements in VO2max and strength with training, but because of injuries incurred during jogging and 1-RM strength testing, these activities should be used with caution.

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