PAHA Study: Psychological Active and Healthy Ageing

The vibration stimulus consisted of uniform vertical oscillations Power Plate® Next Generation (Power Plate North America, Northbrook, IL, USA). Subjects stood on the platform holding an quarter squat positions with the feet shoulder-width apart. Then, they perform ankle extensions with the following work sequence (establishing a rhythm of 100 b.p.m.: 1 b.p.m for the concentric phase; and 5 b.p.m. for the eccentric phase). After the familiarization 2-weeks, subjects trained 3 days per week for 6-months (72 sessions) using a vibrating training program that began with 5 sets and a frequency of 35 Hz per session and increasing by 11 sets and 40 Hz frequency the last month maintaining a series of parameters: vibration amplitude (4 mm) working time (60 s) and recovery time (60 s).

This training combined vertical jumps and high intensity walking. During the first month, small reactive vertical jumps (without knee and ankle flexion) were performed. After the first month, subjects performed drop jumps progressively starting at a height of 5 cm and finishing at 25 cm at the end of the programme (increases of 5 cm each month). Additionally, the sets were increased from 4x10 jumps to 6x10 each week, finishing the last week with 4x10. In this sense, the drop jumps were the same each month but the total load (imposed by height) increased progressively. Regarding the aerobic exercise, the load increased progressively along the 6 months. The intensity ranged between 50-75% of reserve heart rate, the volume ranged between 30-60 min.