IS VO(2)MAX AN APPROPRIATE FITNESS INDICATOR FOR OLDER ADULTS

Older individuals are more likely than younger adults to exhibit sympt oms of exercise intolerance at high work rates. The risks of maximal e xercise in older adults increase proportionally as the number of healt h difficulties increase. In this study, the effects of health status, age, and gender on older adults' ability to attain (V) over dot O-2 ma x are examined. Sedentary volunteers (60 women, 45 men) mean age 67 +/ - 5 years (range 57-78 years), participated in graded maximal exercise tests on a combined arm and leg cycle ergometer. Subjects were classi fied into three groups based on test termination reason: attainment of (V) over dot O-2 max (MAX), symptom-limited (SX), or EKG-limited (ERG ). Sixty per cent of men and 40% of women were classified as MAX, whil e 48% of women and 27% of men were characterized as SX. Thirteen perce nt of men and 12% of women had EKG-limited exercise tests. Those in th e EKG group reported significantly more diagnoses than subjects in the MAX group (2.7 vs. 1.4, p <.05). The number of medications reported a nd age of the subjects did not differ across test termination categori es.