FitBits
February 29, 2004

Exercise ETC's Review of Exercise Related Research.
Compiled by
Irv Rubenstein, Ph D, CSCS

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High Intensity Strength Training
Improves Subsequent Cardio Work

This study examined the effects of high intensity strength training on subsequent cardio performance. The study looked at how high intensity exercise affected the time it took to reach exhaustion during subsequent high intensity anaerobic activity.

Seven healthy young men did 7 tests preceded by either no exercise or high intensity exercise. The test was terminated when pedal rate slowed. The results showed that it took longer to reach exhaustion during cardio activity that was preceded by heavy exercise. These results suggest that acidosis may enhance muscle function and delay fatigue.

A.M. Jones et al., Prior heavy exercise enhances performance during subsequent perimaximal exercise. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 35(12):2085-2092, 2003

Strength Declines Appear Earlier Than Thought

It is generally recognized that we start losing muscle tissue, especially Type-II fibers, after the age of 30. This precipitates a decline in strength and functional capacity that accelerates after the age of 60. This study looked at age-related declines in performance among male and female weightlifters and power lifters who sustained a high level of conditioning as they aged. By comparing the complex movements of weightlifting to the simpler ones of powerlifting, the authors tried to determine whether age-related decreases in functional capacity were affected by the complexity of an activity.

The results of their survey showed:

a. Peak anaerobic muscular power decreased earlier than previously thought;
b. Peak power declines more rapidly in complex tasks that require balance to be maintained;
c. Age-related declines in power were greater in female weightlifters than male weightlifters, suggesting greater gender related decreases in explosive and complex movements;
d. Age related declines in upper and lower body power (bench press and squat) were not gender specific.

The conclusions were that the more complex tasks – those that required balance, explosiveness, and greater neuromuscular function – tend to decrease earlier and to a greater degree with aging. While most previous studies showed that strength changes were minimal until age 50, this study demonstrated that substantial changes occurred earlier. (This may also be due to the “baseline effect”, where younger athletes had such high performances that the changes over time appeared to be extreme.) Socio-cultural factors may explain why women seemed to experience greater declines in the weightlifting skills – fewer women, especially older ones, participate in this sport.

M.M. Anton et al. Age-related declines in anaerobic muscular performance: weightlifting and power lifting. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 36(1):143-147, 2004

Age Related Strength Declines May Be Neurological In Nature

After the age of 50, strength declines at a rate of 12-15% per decade. The issue for the aging population is what will delay sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass) and the consequent decrease in functional capacity. This study examined age-related changes in muscle fiber type and size in the vastus lateralis of older runners.

Male runners, between the ages of 40 and 88, who had been running 15 km per week for at least 5 years, were tested for VO2max, body fat percentage, muscle strength, and muscle composition. The study found that while a significant decline in strength began at age 70, no corresponding differences in muscle fiber type or percentage were attributable to age. Since aging runners run more slowly, the authors propose the idea that neural factors, such as recruitment patterns, may be more affected by age than the muscle fibers themselves, especially if training intensity is sustained.

K.M. Tarpenning et al. Endurance training delays age of decline in leg strength and muscle morphology. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 36(1):74-78, 2004

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