Effect of very low‐intensity resistance training with slow movement on muscle size and strength in healthy older adults

We previously reported that low‐intensity [50% of one repetition maximum (1RM)] resistance training with slow movement and tonic force generation (LST) causes muscle hypertrophy and strength gain in older participants. The aim of this study was to determine whether resistance training with slow movement and much more reduced intensity (30%1RM) increases muscle size and strength in older adults. Eighteen participants (60–77 years) were randomly assigned to two groups. One group performed very low‐intensity (30% 1RM) knee extension exercise with continuous muscle contraction (LST: 3‐s eccentric, 3‐s concentric, and 1‐s isometric actions with no rest between each repetition) twice a week for 12 weeks. The other group underwent intermitted muscle contraction (CON: 1‐s concentric and 1‐s eccentric actions with 1‐s rest between each repetition) for the same time period. The 1RM, isometric and isokinetic strengths, and cross‐sectional image of the mid‐thigh obtained by magnetic resonance imaging were examined before and after the intervention. LST significantly increased the cross‐sectional area of the quadriceps muscle (5·0%, P<0·001) and isometric and isokinetic knee extension strengths (P<0·05). CON failed to increase muscle size (1·1%, P = 0·12), but significantly improved its strength (P<0·05). These results indicate that even if the intensity is as low as 30% 1RM, LST can increase muscle size and strength in healthy older adults. The large total contraction time may be related to muscle hypertrophy and strength gain. LST would be useful for preventing sarcopenia in older individuals.

[1]  J. Baeyens,et al.  European working group on sarcopenia in older people. Sarcopenia: European consensus on definition and diagnosis: report of the European working group on sarcopenia in older people , 2010 .

[2]  N. Ishii,et al.  Effects of low-intensity resistance exercise with slow movement and tonic force generation on muscular function in young men. , 2006, Journal of applied physiology.

[3]  D. Lowenthal,et al.  Resistance Exercise and Physical Performance in Adults Aged 60 to 83 , 2002, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[4]  S. Bandinelli,et al.  Sarcopenic obesity and inflammation in the InCHIANTI study. , 2007, Journal of applied physiology.

[5]  M. Kjaer,et al.  Changes in muscle size and MHC composition in response to resistance exercise with heavy and light loading intensity. , 2008, Journal of applied physiology.

[6]  C. Davies,et al.  Adaptive response of mammalian skeletal muscle to exercise with high loads , 1984, European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology.

[7]  W. Evans What is sarcopenia? , 1995, The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences.

[8]  M. Rennie,et al.  Low-Load High Volume Resistance Exercise Stimulates Muscle Protein Synthesis More Than High-Load Low Volume Resistance Exercise in Young Men , 2010, PloS one.

[9]  B. Schoenfeld Postexercise Hypertrophic Adaptations: A Reexamination of the Hormone Hypothesis and Its Applicability to Resistance Training Program Design , 2013, Journal of strength and conditioning research.

[10]  K. Nair,et al.  Sarcopenia of aging and its metabolic impact. , 2005, Current topics in developmental biology.

[11]  Position Stand American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. , 2009, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[12]  D. Sale,et al.  Arterial blood pressure response to heavy resistance exercise. , 1985, Journal of applied physiology.

[13]  S. Harridge,et al.  Knee extensor strength, activation, and size in very elderly people following strength training , 1999, Muscle & nerve.

[14]  S. Volpato,et al.  Body Mass Index, Body Cell Mass, and 4‐Year All‐Cause Mortality Risk in Older Nursing Home Residents , 2004, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[15]  Stuart M Phillips,et al.  Resistance exercise load does not determine training-mediated hypertrophic gains in young men. , 2012, Journal of applied physiology.

[16]  KR Westerterp,et al.  Physical inactivity as a determinant of the physical activity level in the elderly , 2001, International Journal of Obesity.

[17]  Joshua G. A. Cashaback,et al.  Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub‐fractional synthetic responses in men , 2012, The Journal of physiology.

[18]  O. Rutherford,et al.  The role of learning and coordination in strength training , 2004, European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology.

[19]  J. Baeyens,et al.  Sarcopenia: European consensus on definition and diagnosis , 2010, Age and ageing.

[20]  S. Borst Interventions for sarcopenia and muscle weakness in older people. , 2004, Age and ageing.

[21]  H. Madarame,et al.  Muscle oxygenation and plasma growth hormone concentration during and after resistance exercise: Comparison between “KAATSU” and other types of regimen , 2005 .

[22]  D Curran-Everett,et al.  Multiple comparisons: philosophies and illustrations. , 2000, American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology.

[23]  M. Miyachi,et al.  Increased muscle size and strength from slow-movement, low-intensity resistance exercise and tonic force generation. , 2013, Journal of aging and physical activity.

[24]  I. Rosenberg,et al.  Sarcopenia: origins and clinical relevance. , 1997, The Journal of nutrition.

[25]  Robert U Newton,et al.  American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. , 2011, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[26]  R. Marcus,et al.  Comparative effects of high- and low-intensity resistance training on thigh muscle strength, fiber area, and tissue composition in elderly women. , 1996, Clinical physiology.

[27]  W. Frontera,et al.  Strength conditioning in older men: skeletal muscle hypertrophy and improved function. , 1988, Journal of applied physiology.

[28]  Jeffrey S. Morris,et al.  Prevalence of colorectal neoplasm among patients with newly diagnosed coronary artery disease. , 2007, JAMA.

[29]  M. Rennie,et al.  Muscle protein synthetic responses to exercise: effects of age, volume, and intensity. , 2012, The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences.

[30]  I. Tabata,et al.  Effects of Whole-Body Low-Intensity Resistance Training With Slow Movement and Tonic Force Generation on Muscular Size and Strength in Young Men , 2008, Journal of strength and conditioning research.

[31]  CARDIOVASCULAR SAFETY OF EXERCISE IN THE ELDERLY , 2003 .

[32]  Tetsuo Fukunaga,et al.  A study on training effect on strength per unit cross-sectional area of muscle by means of ultrasonic measurement , 2004, Internationale Zeitschrift für angewandte Physiologie einschließlich Arbeitsphysiologie.

[33]  Gary R. Hunter,et al.  Sarcopenia in premenopausal and postmenopausal women with osteopenia, osteoporosis and normal bone mineral density , 2005, Osteoporosis International.

[34]  R. Roubenoff Sarcopenic obesity: the confluence of two epidemics. , 2004, Obesity research.

[35]  L. Lipsitz,et al.  High-intensity strength training in nonagenarians. Effects on skeletal muscle. , 1990, JAMA.

[36]  J. Judge,et al.  Strength is a major factor in balance, gait, and the occurrence of falls. , 1995, The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences.