RESPIRATORY MUSCLE STRENGTH IN OLDER ADULTS

Gender-related effects and two measures of muscularity, handgrip stren gth and fat-free mass (FFM), were examined to determine their relation ship to respiratory muscle strength. Subjects were 101 healthy older a dults. In 75 subjects, the magnitude of learning effect was examined o ver four weekly sessions. Maximal inspiratory pressure (PImax) was low er with increasing age in women, and maximal expiratory pressure (PE(m ax)) was lower with increasing age in both genders. The PE(max) correl ated with handgrip strength and FFM in men only. Performance of PImax plateaued by the third visit in both men and women. Performance of PE( max) plateaued by the third measure in women and was unchanged across four measurements for men.