Physical training in elderly men with special reference to quadriceps muscle strength and morphology

Abstract

Summary. Physical training, including strength training of the lower extremities, was performed three times per week for 12 weeks by twelve 69–74-year-old men with no cardiovascular or locomotor symptoms. Only body weight was used as resistance. The training was considered to be moderately intense for this age-group. After training, the heart rate was significantly lower at submaximal loads, demonstrating a conditioning effect of the training programme. The static and dynamic (isokinetic) muscle strength in the quadriceps muscle increased significantly with the training. Muscle biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle for fibre, capillary and enzyme activity analysis. The fibre composition was altered after training, with a significantly higher proportion of Type II fibres, mainly due to an increase of Type II A fibres. The relative area of the Type IIA fibres increased significantly with training. There was no change in total body cell mass or capillarization. There was also enzymatic evidence of training adaptation, with a significant increment in myokinase activity. It is concluded that the ageing human skeletal muscle remains trainable and that the training response is similar to that seen in younger age-groups.