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Heterogeneity in resistance training-induced muscle strength and mass responses in men and women of different ages

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Abstract

Physical activity recommendations for public health include typically muscle-strengthening activities for a minimum of 2 days a week. The range of inter-individual variation in responses to resistance training (RT) aiming to improve health and well-being requires to be investigated. The purpose of this study was to quantify high and low responders for RT-induced changes in muscle size and strength and to examine possible effects of age and sex on these responses. Previously collected data of untrained healthy men and women (age 19 to 78 years, n = 287 with 72 controls) were pooled for the present study. Muscle size and strength changed during RT are 4.8 ± 6.1 % (range from −11 to 30 %) and 21.1 ± 11.5 % (range from −8 to 60 %) compared to pre-RT, respectively. Age and sex did not affect to the RT responses. Fourteen percent and 12 % of the subjects were defined as high responders (>1 standard deviation (SD) from the group mean) for the RT-induced changes in muscle size and strength, respectively. When taking into account the results of non-training controls (upper 95 % CI), 29 and 7 % of the subjects were defined as low responders for the RT-induced changes in muscle size and strength, respectively. The muscle size and strength responses varied extensively between the subjects regardless of subject’s age and sex. Whether these changes are associated with, e.g., functional capacity and metabolic health improvements due to RT requires further studies.

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Acknowledgments

Studies included in the present investigation were funded by the following foundations: The Finnish Ministry of Culture and Education; Finnish Cultural Foundation; Ellen and Artturi Nyyssönen Foundation, Finland; Polar Electro Oy; Juho Vainio Foundation, Finland; Central Finland Health Care District, Jyväskylä, Finland; Sport Institute Foundation, Finland; Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation, Finland; and National Doctoral Programme of Musculoskeletal Disorders and Biomaterials, Finland.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology of Physical Activity, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014, Jyvaskyla, Finland

    Juha P. Ahtiainen, Simon Walker, Heikki Peltonen, Jarkko Holviala, Laura Karavirta, Janne Sallinen, Antti Mero, Juha J. Hulmi & Keijo Häkkinen

  2. Gerontology Research Center, Department of Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyvaskyla, Finland

    Elina Sillanpää

  3. Physiology, Research Institute for Olympic Sports, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Jussi Mikkola

  4. Department of Welfare, National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki, Finland

    Heli Valkeinen

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  1. Juha P. Ahtiainen
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  2. Simon Walker
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  3. Heikki Peltonen
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  4. Jarkko Holviala
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  11. Juha J. Hulmi
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  12. Keijo Häkkinen
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Correspondence to Juha P. Ahtiainen.

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Subjects were carefully informed about the design of the study with special information on possible risks and benefits both verbally and in writing, and they signed a written consent form before participation in the study. The studies were conducted according to the Declaration of Helsinki and were approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, and/or by the Ethics Committee of the Central Finland Health Care District.

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Ahtiainen, J.P., Walker, S., Peltonen, H. et al. Heterogeneity in resistance training-induced muscle strength and mass responses in men and women of different ages. AGE 38, 10 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-015-9870-1

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