2. Materials and Methods
cardiorespiratory disease, fractures, renal or hepatic disease, cognitive impairment
METABOLIC SYNDROME, UNCONTROLLED HYPERTENSION, SEVERE OBESITY, RECRUITMENT
After ethical approval was received from the Research Committee of the Federal University of Espírito Santo (number n° 4.088.540-2020), physically independent elderly individuals (>60 years) were invited to participate voluntarily in this study. The invitation was made in community centers and fitness centers, and by posters fixed in the squares and parks near senior gyms. The study sample was considered an intentional non-probabilistic sample, selected for convenience with the experimental design.The following exclusion criteria were applied: recent hospitalization, symptomatic cardiorespiratory disease, uncontrolled hypertension or metabolic syndrome, severe renal or hepatic disease, cognitive impairment, progressive and debilitating conditions, severe obesity with inability for physical activity, recent bone fractures or any other medical contraindications for exercise practice. Initially, 80 elderly individuals volunteered to participate in the project; however, after applying the exclusion criteria, 60 elderly individuals were deemed eligible for participation. After randomization of volunteers and distribution of the signed informed consent form, in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, the elderly participants were distributed into three groups: Supervised Trained (ST, n: 20; 66 ± 5 years old): Elderly participants subjected to training with controlled cadence and supervised by a Physical Education professional throughout the training program.Unsupervised Trained (UT, n: 20; 68 ± 7 years old): Elderly participants who exercised freely without the supervision of a Physical Education professional throughout the program.Control (C, n: 20; 68 ± 5 years old): Elderly participants who did not engage in exercise but received support to maintain their daily routines throughout the entire investigation period.The sample size required was estimated using G* Power 3.1 software (version 3.1.9.4). A priori power analysis assuming an estimating error of α + 0.05, and power = 80% to an actual power was 0.80. The randomization process occurred in blocks of six subjects, with each block resulting in the distribution of two subjects per group, ensuring balanced recruitment in the study and promoting similarity of measures at the initial stage among the groups. This strategy reduces the risk of bias, which is considered a quality criterion in experimental designs aiming to make group comparisons. The elderly participants underwent training sessions in a public square located in the city of Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil. All individuals conducted activities at the same time of day as a means of adapting to the climate and controlling collected data for contamination due to diurnal variation. Additionally, they underwent familiarization sessions with the equipment to correct movements and reduce the risk of accidents or injuries. Only the elderly individuals who achieved a minimum attendance rate of 85% in the training sessions were included in the analysis.