Özet:

It is well known that exercise provides many physiological benefits. For this reason, the participation of the elderly in physical exercise programs has been increasing, however, the vast majority is unaware of the importance of body and functional assessment for health. The present study aimed to evaluate the body composition and functional fitness of older individuals who practice physical activities. Thirty-two older men and women were evaluated. (15 men: 68.2 ± 5.0 years, 81.0 ± 4.0 kg, 27.1 ± 3.1 kg/m2 and 17 women: 66.8 ± 4.5 years, 61.8 ± 6, 4 kg, 24.0 ± 2.2 kg/m2) physical activity practitioners (strength training and functional training). All volunteers were submitted to body composition (body weight, BMI, percentage of muscle mass and percentage of fat mass) by bioimpedance and functional capacity by the 8-foot up and go test. The results showed that the male group presented higher values of body weight, BMI, lean mass percentage and lower values of fat mass percentage in relation to the female group. No differences were observed between functional capacity between genders. In conclusion, the male group showed higher lean mass values than women, however these values did not reflect in a higher functional capacity.

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