Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026

Getting to Compliance in Forced Exercise in Rodents: A Critical Standard to Evaluate Exercise Impact in Aging-related Disorders and Disease
Published on: August 22, 2014
DIFFERENCES IN EXERCISE PERFORMANCE AND LEISURE-TIME PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN OLDER MEN AND WOMEN
Andrew W Gardner1, Polly S Montgomery
1CMRI Metabolic Research Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK ; Department of Medicine, Division of Gerontology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD.
Purposes:
(a) To compare exercise performance and leisue-time physical activity (LTPA) between older men and women, (b) to assess the relationship between exercise performance and LTPA, and (c) to determine whether group differences in exercise performance persist after controlling for LTPA.
Methods:
A total of 105 women and 155 men who were 65 years of age and older participated in this study. Subjects were characterized on exercise performance by a 6-minute walk test, and by a short physical performance battery (SPPB) consisting of a repeated chair rise test, a standing balance test, and a 4-meter walk test. Additionally, LTPA was assessed using the Minnesota LTPA questionnaire.
Results:
Women had a 7% lower SPPB value (P < 0.001), a 12% shorter 6-minute walk distance (P < 0.001), and a 28% lower LTPA value (P < 0.011) than the older men. LTPA was significantly related (P < 0.01) to both SPPB and 6-minute walk distance in the older men and women. Group differences in SPPB and 6-minute walk distance between older men and women were no longer present (P > 0.05) after controlling for LTPA.
Conclusions:
Older women have impaired exercise performance and lower LTPA compared to older men. Furthermore, sex differences in exercise performance no longer exist after controlling for LTPA.
Related Concept Videos
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Excretion
Exercise and Muscle Performance
Endurance exercises
Endurance exercises involve running, swimming, or cycling, which require repetitive movements with low force output. When a person engages in endurance exercise, a few noticeable changes occur in their skeletal muscles. For instance, the number of capillaries...
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Metabolism
Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients

