Comparing the Effects of Eight Weeks of Whole Body Vibration Exercise Combined With Rope Skipping at Two Different Intensities on Physical Performance of Older Men: A Randomized Single-Blind Clinical Trial

Whole-Body Vibration (WBV) exercise seems to be an effective alternative to improve physical performance in the elderly. This study aims to compare the effects of eight weeks of WBV exercise combined with rope skipping at two different intensities on physical performance of older men.

Methods & Materials:

 This is a randomized single-blind clinical trial. Participants were 30 older men (Mean±SD age= 65.83±4.16 years; Mean±SD height= 169.26±3.90 cm; Mean±SD weight= 77.04±4.62 kg; Body Mass Index= 26.86±0.69 kg/m2) living in Mashhad, Iran in 2019, who were selected by purposive and convenience sampling methods and randomly divided into three groups: high intensity (HI; n=12), low intensity (LI; n=12) and control (n=10). The WBV exercise was performed at a frequency of 25-40 Hz and amplitude of 3 mm. Rope skipping was performed based on the Borg scale at 13-14 level intensities with 30-35 jumps per minute. Physical performance indicators, body mass index, and fat percentage were measured before and after eight weeks of intervention. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used for data analysis in SPSS v. 20 software. The significance level was set at P≤0.05.

In HI and LI groups, body fat percentage (-4.50%, -5.99%), lower body flexibility (105%, 102%), upper limb muscle strength (42.43%, 42.93%), handgrip strength (43.38%, 39.45%), dynamic leg strength (36.47%, 26.43%), lower limb muscular endurance (27.20%, 26.10%), cardiorespiratory function (10.27%, 10.90%), and dynamic balance (-32.60%, -24.10%) showed a significant improvement compared to the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in body mass index between exercise and control groups (P>0.05), and no significant difference between the two exercise groups in any of the study variables (P>0.05)

It seems that low intensities of the WBV exercise + rope skipping is effective in improving body composition and physical performance in older men. The selection of intensity level depends on the physical condition of the elderly.