Older adults guidelines specify exercise intensity as a percentage of peak VO2. What is the recommended range?

• A. 15-25% of peak VO2
• B. 60-95% of peak VO2
• C. 40-85% of peak VO2
• D. 5-25% of peak VO2

Answer: (C)

Prescribing exercise intensity for older adults using a percentage of peak VO2 allows effort to be matched to each person’s cardiovascular capacity. The recommended range is 40-85% of peak VO2, which spans from moderate to vigorous intensity. This ensures enough stimulus to improve fitness while staying within a safe range for most older adults. Lower ranges like 15-25% won’t drive meaningful adaptations, and pushing to 60-95% can be too demanding or risky for many individuals. The 40-85% range also reflects the common progression from moderate to vigorous work as tolerance and conditioning improve.