BACKGROUND: While traditional resistance exercises have been widely used to 
promote muscle strength and hypertrophy in the elderly, few studies have 
reported the use of a functional approach in which common patterns for daily 
activities are considered the primary stimulus.
OBJECTIVE: Investigate whether functional training has similar effects the 
traditional on body composition and muscle strength components in physically 
active older women.
METHODS: Forty-seven older women completed a randomized and crossover clinical 
trial, distributed in three groups: Functional or Traditional Training 
(FUNCT/TRAD: n = 32; 65.28 ± 4.96 years) and Stretching Group (STRETCH: n = 15; 
64.40 ± 3.68 years). Maximal dynamic strength was verified with the 1 repetition 
maximum (RM) test in the leg press and rowing machines. Muscular power was 
analyzed using 50% of the maximum load, speed was determined using a linear 
encoder, and isometric strength was analyzed with hand and lumbar dynamometers. 
ANOVA for repeated measures was applied for comparisons.
RESULTS: The FUNCT showed a significant decrease in fat percentage (p = 0.015, 
3.51%) and the TRAD a significant increase in lean mass (p = 0.008, 2.92%). Both 
FUNCT and TRAD generated significant increases in all components of muscle 
strength compared to baseline whereas STRETCH showed declines in these 
variables. No statistically significant differences were observed between the 
experimental groups in body composition.
CONCLUSION: Functional and traditional training are equally efficient in 
improving strength components in physically active older women and, therefore, 
they may be complementary to combat some of the deleterious effects of 
senescence. This trial was registered at Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials 
(RBR-9Y8KJQ).