Abstract

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The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of low-resistance training on percent body fat (%BF) of young-older male adults in Samaru, Zaria. A repeated-measures experimental research design was used for this study. Purposive sampling technique was used to select young-oldermale adults between the ages of 60 and 69 years, who volunteered to participate in this study. The training intensity was maintained between 25 and 45% of one repetition maximum (1RM) on percent body fat. The training programme had two sessions of low-resistance per week for a duration of 12 weeks. Stop watch, stadio meter, resistance machines and body composition analyser machine were used as instruments for this study. The participants trained at 25% of 1RM from base-line to 4th week, at 35% of 1RM from 4th to 8th, and at 45% of 1RM from 8th to 12th week. The %BF was assessed at base-line, at the end of 4th, 8th and 12th week of the training. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation and standard error) were calculated while repeatedmeasures analysis of variance and Scheffe's post-hoc test were used to analyse the data obtained at 0.05 level of significance. At the end of the 12 weeks training, the major findings from the study showed significant decrease in %BF (p = 0.000), therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected. The Scheffe post-hoc test further showed significant means difference in the decreasing effect on the %BF (p = 0.000) between base-line and 4th week, 4th and 8th week, 8th and 12th week of training. In conclusion, low-resistance training from 25-45% of 1RM reduced%BF of the young-older male adults. It was further recommended that young-older male adults should train more at low-resistance intensity between 25 and 45% of 1RM to reduce percent body fat.

Keywords: Low-resistance, ageing, percent body fat, young-older adults, male, training