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Comparison between eccentric and concentric resistance exercise training without equipment for changes in muscle strength and functional fitness of older adults

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European Journal of Applied Physiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The present study tested the hypothesis that resistance exercise training focusing on eccentric muscle contractions would improve muscle strength and functional physical fitness more than concentric contraction-focused resistance training in older adults.

Methods

Healthy older adults (65–84 years) were placed into eccentric (ECC; n = 9) or concentric training group (CON; n = 8). They performed 4–6 basic manual resistance exercises focusing on either eccentric or concentric muscle contractions once at a community centre and at least twice at home a week for 8 weeks. Muscle thickness of the quadriceps femoris (MT), knee extensor maximal voluntary isometric contraction strength (MVC), 30-second chair stand (CS), 3-metre timed up and go (TUG), 2-minute step (2MS), sit and reach (SR), and static balance with eyes open and closed (Bal-EC) were assessed before and 7 days after the last community centre session.

Results

Changes in MT (ECC: 21.6 ± 9.2% vs CON: 6.7 ± 7.1%), MVC (38.3 ± 22.6% vs 8.2 ± 8.4%), CS (51.0 ± 21.7% vs 34.6 ± 28.3%), TUG (16.7 ± 9.9% vs 6.3 ± 7.7%), 2MS (9.9 ± 6.0% vs 6.0 ± 7.3%) and Bal-EC (35.1 ± 6.7% vs 8.8 ± 16.2%) from baseline were greater (P < 0.05) for the ECC than the CON group.

Conclusion

These results show that the eccentric manual resistance exercise training was more effective for improving lower limb strength, mobility, and postural stability of older adults when compared with the concentric training. This suggests the significance of emphasising eccentric muscle contractions in movements to maintain and improve physical function.

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Abbreviations

ADL:

Activities of daily living

BM:

Body mass

BMI:

Body mass index

CV:

Coefficient of variation

CON group:

Concentric resistance exercise training group

DBP:

Diastolic blood pressure

ECC group:

Eccentric resistance exercise training group

HR:

Heart rate

MVC:

Maximal voluntary isometric contraction

QOL:

Quality of life

RPE:

Rating of perceived exertion

SBP:

Systolic blood pressure

TMT:

Trail making test

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Acknowledgements

We would like to appreciate the participants in the present study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Promotion of Higher Education, Kogakuin University, 2665-1 Nakano, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0015, Japan

    Yoshihiro Katsura & Noriko Takeda

  2. Faculty of Education, Department of Health and Physical Education, Shimane University, Shimane, Japan

    Taketaka Hara

  3. Faculty of Sports and Health Science, Daito Bunka University, Tokyo, Japan

    Sho Takahashi

  4. Centre for Exercise and Sports Science Research, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Australia

    Kazunori Nosaka

Authors
  1. Yoshihiro Katsura
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  2. Noriko Takeda
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  3. Taketaka Hara
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  4. Sho Takahashi
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  5. Kazunori Nosaka
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Contributions

YK and KN conceived and designed this research project; YK instructed the exercise sessions and took the measurements with HT, NT and ST, KN provided advice on the research process; YK analysed the data, all contributed to the discussion of the data; and YK and KN drafted the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final version of manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yoshihiro Katsura.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the University Institutional Review Boards for Human Subjects and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Additional information

Communicated by Michalis G. Nikolaidis.

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Katsura, Y., Takeda, N., Hara, T. et al. Comparison between eccentric and concentric resistance exercise training without equipment for changes in muscle strength and functional fitness of older adults. Eur J Appl Physiol 119, 1581–1590 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04147-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04147-0

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