Download PDF
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sports Med Int Open 2024; 08: a23388226
DOI: 10.1055/a-2338-8226
Training & Testing

One Year of Heavy Resistance Training Modifies Muscle Fiber Characteristics in the Elderly

Anne Theil Gates
1   Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Copenhagen University Hospital, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Bispebjerg Hospital Institute of Sports Medicine Copenhagen, 2400 Copenhagen NV, Denmark
2   Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, University of Copenhagen Center for Healthy Aging, 2200 Copenhagen NV, Denmark
,
Michael Kjaer
1   Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Copenhagen University Hospital, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Bispebjerg Hospital Institute of Sports Medicine Copenhagen, 2400 Copenhagen NV, Denmark
3   Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, University of Copenhagen Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, 2200 Copenhagen NV, Denmark
,
Jesper Loevind Andersen
1   Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Copenhagen University Hospital, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Bispebjerg Hospital Institute of Sports Medicine Copenhagen, 2400 Copenhagen NV, Denmark
› Author Affiliations Funding Information Nordea-fonden — http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004825;
› Further Information
Also available at
   Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Physical function declines with age, accelerating during the 6th decade of life, primarily due to loss in muscle mass and strength. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of one year of heavy resistance training in older adults (62–70 years) on muscle mass and strength. Further, we investigated muscle characteristics after the intervention by obtaining muscle biopsies from the vastus lateralis to compare muscle fiber characteristics between the heavy resistance training (HRT) (n=10) and the sedentary control group (CON) (n=10). We found that one year of resistance training increased isometric muscle strength (p<0.0001, ES: 2.43 (Hedges’ g)) and lean body mass (p<0.05, ES: 0.96), whereas cross-sectional area of the vastus lateralis and lean leg mass were unaltered. At year 1, the percentage of type IIX muscle fibers was lower in HRT compared to CON (p<0.05, ES: 0.99), whereas the muscle fiber size did not differ between groups for the major fiber types (I and II). In conclusion, one year of resistance training in elderly improved muscle strength and lean body mass but not cross-sectional area and lean leg mass. This indicates that the increase in muscle strength may be caused by neuromuscular adaptations rather than morphological muscle tissue changes per se.

Keywords

aging - physical function - strength training - hypertrophy


Publication History

Received: 27 March 2024
Received: 24 May 2024

Accepted: 03 June 2024

Accepted Manuscript online:
05 June 2024

Article published online:
20 July 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

Bibliographical Record
Anne Theil Gates, Michael Kjaer, Jesper Loevind Andersen. One Year of Heavy Resistance Training Modifies Muscle Fiber Characteristics in the Elderly. Sports Med Int Open 2024; 08: a23388226.
DOI: 10.1055/a-2338-8226
 

  • References

  • 1 Cruz-Jentoft AJ, Bahat G, Bauer J. et al. Sarcopenia: revised European consensus on definition and diagnosis. Age Ageing 2019; 48: 16-31
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 2 Lindle RS, Metter EJ, Lynch NA. et al. Age and gender comparisons of muscle strength in 654 women and men aged 20–93 yr. J Appl Physiol 1997; 83: 1581-1587
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 3 Skelton DA, Greig CA, Davies JM. et al. Strength, power and related functional ability of healthy people aged 65–89 years. Age Ageing 1994; 23: 371-377
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 4 Janssen I, Heymsfield SB, Wang Z. et al. Skeletal muscle mass and distribution in 468 men and women aged 18–88 yr. J Appl Physiol 2000; 89: 81-88
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 5 Suetta C, Haddock B, Alcazar J. et al. The Copenhagen Sarcopenia Study: lean mass, strength, power, and physical function in a Danish cohort aged 20–93 years. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle 2019; 10: 1316-1329
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 6 Kohl HW, Craig CL, Lambert EV. et al. The pandemic of physical inactivity: global action for public health. Lancet 2012; 380: 294-305
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 7 Lee I-M, Shiroma EJ, Lobelo F. et al. Effect of physical inactivity on major non-communicable diseases worldwide: an analysis of burden of disease and life expectancy. Lancet 2012; 380: 219-229
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 8 Nilwik R, Snijders T, Leenders M. et al. The decline in skeletal muscle mass with aging is mainly attributed to a reduction in type II muscle fiber size. Exp Gerontol 2013; 48: 492-498
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 9 Mayhew DL, Kim JS, Cross JM. et al. Translational signaling responses preceding resistance training-mediated myofiber hypertrophy in young and old humans. J Appl Physiol 2009; 107: 1655-1662
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 10 Bickel CS, Cross JC, Bamman MM. Exercise dosing to retain resistance training adaptations in young and older adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2011; 43: 1177-1187
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 11 Unhjem R, Lundestad R, Fimland MS. et al. Strength training-induced responses in older adults: attenuation of descending neural drive with age. Age (Omaha) 2015; 37: 1-13
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 12 Aagaard P, Suetta C, Caserotti P. et al. Role of the nervous system in sarcopenia and muscle atrophy with aging: Strength training as a countermeasure. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2010; 20: 49-64
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 13 Campbell MJ, McComas AJ, Petito F. Physiological changes in ageing muscles. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1973; 36: 174-182
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 14 Moro T, Brightwell CR, Volpi E. et al. Resistance exercise training promotes fiber type-specific myonuclear adaptations in older adults. J Appl Physiol 2020; 128: 795-804
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 15 Mertz KH, Reitelseder S, Bechshoeft R. et al. The effect of daily protein supplementation, with or without resistance training for 1 year, on muscle size, strength, and function in healthy older adults: A randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr 2021; 00: 1-11
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 16 Leenders M, Verdijk LB, van der Hoeven L. et al. Elderly men and women benefit equally from prolonged resistance-type exercise training. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2013; 68: 769-779
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 17 Gylling AT, Eriksen CS, Garde E. et al. The influence of prolonged strength training upon muscle and fat in healthy and chronically diseased older adults. Exp Gerontol 2020; 136: 1-10
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 18 Bechshøft RL, Malmgaard-Clausen NM, Gliese B. et al. Improved skeletal muscle mass and strength after heavy strength training in very old individuals. Exp Gerontol 2017; 92: 96-105
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 19 Churchward-Venne TA, Tieland M, Verdijk LB. et al. There are no nonresponders to resistance-type exercise training in older men and women. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2015; 16: 400-411
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 20 Kryger AI, Andersen JL. Resistance training in the oldest old: consequences for muscle strength, fiber types, fiber size, and MHC isoforms. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2007; 17: 422-430
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 21 Kosek DJ, Kim JS, Petrella JK. et al. Efficacy of 3 days/wk resistance training on myofiber hypertrophy and myogenic mechanisms in young vs. older adults. J Appl Physiol 2006; 101: 531-544
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 22 Wang E, Nyberg SK, Hoff J. et al. Impact of maximal strength training on work efficiency and muscle fiber type in the elderly: Implications for physical function and fall prevention. Exp Gerontol 2017; 91: 64-71
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 23 Andersen JL, Aagaard P. Myosin heavy chain IIX overshoot in human skeletal muscle. Muscle Nerve 2000; 23: 1095-1104
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 24 Staron RS, Karapondo DL, Kraemer WJ. et al. Skeletal muscle adaptations during early phase of heavy-resistance training in men and women. J Appl Physiol 1994; 76: 1247-1255
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 25 Andersen JL, Aagaard P. Effects of strength training on muscle fiber types and size; consequences for athletes training for high-intensity sport. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2010; 20: 32-38
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 26 Eriksen CS, Garde E, Reislev NL. et al. Physical activity as intervention for age-related loss of muscle mass and function: Protocol for a randomised controlled trial (the LISA study). BMJ Open 2016; 6: 1-13
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 27 Bergstrom J. Percutaneous needle biopsy of skeletal muscle in physiological and clinical research. Scand J Clin Lab Invest 1975; 35: 609-616
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 28 Brooke MH, Kaiser KK. Muscle fiber types: How many and what kind?. Arch Neurol 1970; 23: 369-379
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 29 Brooke MH, Kaiser KK. Three “myosin adenosine triphosphatase” systems: the nature of their pH lability and sulfhydryl dependence. J Histochem Cytochem 1970; 18: 670-672
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 30 Qu Z, Andersen JL, Zhou S. Visualisation of capillaries in human skeletal muscle. Histochem Cell Biol 1997; 107: 169-174
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 31 Heisterberg MF, Andersen JL, Schjerling P. et al. Losartan has no additive effect on the response to heavy-resistance exercise in human elderly skeletal muscle. J Appl Physiol 2018; 125: 1536-1554
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 32 Rhea MR. Determining the magnitude of treatment effects in strength training research through the use of the effect size. J Strength Cond Res 2004; 18: 918-920
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 33 Kraková D, Holwerda AM, Betz MW. et al. Muscle fiber type grouping does not change in response to prolonged resistance exercise training in healthy older men. Exp Gerontol 2023; 173: 1-9
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 34 Ziegler AK, Jensen SM, Schjerling P. et al. The effect of resistance exercise upon age-related systemic and local skeletal muscle inflammation. Exp Gerontol 2019; 121: 19-32
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 35 Lexell J, Taylor CC. Variability in muscle fibre areas in whole human quadriceps muscle: effects of increasing age. J Anat 1991; 174: 239-249
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 36 Mackey AL, Esmarck B, Kadi F. et al. Enhanced satellite cell proliferation with resistance training in elderly men and women. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2007; 17: 34-42
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 37 Verdijk LB, Gleeson BG, Jonkers RAM. et al. Skeletal muscle hypertrophy following resistance training is accompanied by a fiber type-specific increase in satellite cell content in elderly men. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2009; 64A: 332-339
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 38 Andersen LL, Andersen JL, Magnusson SP. et al. Changes in the human muscle force-velocity relationship in response to resistance training and subsequent detraining. J Appl Physiol 2005; 99: 87-94
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 39 Holm L, Reitelseder S, Pedersen TG. et al. Changes in muscle size and MHC composition in response to resistance exercise with heavy and light loading intensity. J Appl Physiol 2008; 105: 1454-1461
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 40 Verdijk LB, Snijders T, Holloway TM. et al. Resistance training increases skeletal muscle capillarization in healthy older men. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2016; 48: 2157-2164
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 41 Aagaard P, Simonsen EB, Andersen JL. et al. Increased rate of force development and neural drive of human skeletal muscle following resistance training. J Appl Physiol 2002; 93: 1318-1326
    Search in Google Scholar