Sarcopenia is an age-related gradual loss of muscle mass and strength and is associated with physical disability and mortality risk. Currently, the most promising remedy for preventing and treating sarcopenia is physical activity, particularly progressive resistance training. Yet, the amount of resistance exercise needed to achieve optimal benefits remains largely unknown. This lack of knowledge is underpinned by the notion that aging reduces the ability to adapt to (and benefit from) resistance training, and is further complicated by a relative large degrees of between-subject heterogeneity. The primary aim of the study is to compare the effects of 10 weeks of resistance training with low- and moderate volume (one vs. three sets per exercise) on muscle mass accretion in lower and upper body extremities in young (\<30 years of age) and elderly individuals (\>70 years of age). Specifically, the study addresses the hypothesis that elderly individuals will benefit more from higher exercise volume (moderate vs. low) compared to their young counterparts. In addition, the study aims to compare the efficacy of the two volume conditions for altering other characteristics such as muscle strength and biology, including assessment of associations between individual changes in muscle mass, strength and biology (e.g. the relationship between muscle mass accretion and muscle content of rRNA/rDNA), and also to investigate the general health effects of the intervention.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
76
Progressive resistance training, performed with a target number of repetitions of 10 per set. Sets are performed to exhaustion, and external load will be adjusted to meet the target number of repetitions.
Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences
Lillehammer, Norway
Muscle size, lower extremities
Muscle size of lower extremity knee extensors measured with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Time frame: Change from baseline to after the training period (10-12 weeks)
Muscle size, upper-body extremities
Muscle size of upper extremity elbow flexors measured with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Time frame: Change from baseline to after the training period (10-12 weeks)
Appendicular lean mass, lower-body extremities
Appendicular lean mass of the legs measured using Dual X-Ray Absorptiometry
Time frame: Change from baseline to after the training period (10-12 weeks)
Appendicular lean mass, upper-body extremities
Appendicular lean mass of the arms measured using Dual X-Ray Absorptiometry
Time frame: Change from baseline to after the training period (10-12 weeks)
Muscle thickness, m. vastus lateralis
Musle thickness of m. vastus lateralis measured using ultrasound
Time frame: Change from baseline to after the training period (10-12 weeks)
Muscle strength, lower-body extremities
Muscle strength of the legs measured as a weighted average of lower body isokinetic and isometric knee extensor maximal force
Time frame: Change from baseline to after the training period (10-12 weeks)
Muscle strength, upper-body extremities
Muscle strength of the arms measured as isometric force (elbow flexors; fixed angle)
Time frame: Change from baseline to after the training period (10-12 weeks)
Muscular peak power/force, lower-body extremities
Muscular peak power/force measured using dynamic leg press
Time frame: MeasurChange from baseline to after the training period (10-12 weeks)
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