Effects of Smovey-based versus conventional unloaded multicomponent exercise on functional fitness, handgrip strength, and task-related upper-extremity muscle activity in older women

This experiment was conducted to compare the effects of a 12-week Smovey-based exercise program and a conventional unloaded multi-component exercise program on functional fitness, handgrip strength, and task-related upper-extremity muscle activity in older women. In this trial, 46 community-dwelling women aged 65 years or older were allocated to a Smovey-based multicomponent exercise group (SMG) or a conventional unloaded multicomponent exercise group (CG). One CG participant withdrew (final n=45: SMG, 23; CG, 22). Both groups completed supervised 60-min sessions three times weekly for 12 weeks with identical movement patterns, volume, and perceived-exertion-based progression; only the SMG held Smovey rings. Five senior fitness test items, dominant-hand grip strength, and surface electromyographic activity of six upper-extremity muscles during a standardized fixed-load shoulder task, normalized to maximal voluntary contraction (%MVC), were assessed before and after the intervention and analyzed using 2×2 mixed-design analyses of variance. Significant time effects were observed for all functional fitness outcomes and handgrip strength. Group-by-time interactions were significant for the 30-sec arm curl and handgrip strength, but not for the chair stand, 2-min step, back scratch, or 8-foot up-and-go. The %MVC increased in both groups for all six muscles, whereas interactions were significant only for the biceps brachii, triceps brachii, flexor carpi radialis, and brachioradialis, not for the anterior or middle deltoid. Both programs improved functional fitness. The Smovey-based program produced greater gains in arm-curl performance and handgrip strength, while differential changes in task-related muscle activity were confined to the elbow and forearm muscles rather than the shoulder muscles.