Acute Power Training Effects in Older Adults

Official title

Acute Neuromuscular and Physiological Responses to Different Velocity Loss Thresholds During Power Training in Older Adults

Overview

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn how older adults respond to power training when the level of fatigue during exercise is different. Power training means performing fast movements with moderate loads to improve strength, power and mobility. The main questions the study aims to answer are: * How does the level of fatigue during power training acutely affect strength, movement, and muscle function? * How does it affect recovery, muscle soreness, and how hard the exercise feels? Researchers will compare three power-training sessions with different fatigue levels to see which approach may be safest and most effective for older adults. Participants will be healthy older adults aged 65 to 85 years. Each participant will complete three supervised exercise sessions on a leg press machine. The sessions will take place about one week apart. During the study, participants will: * Perform power training on a pneumatic leg press machine * Complete strength and mobility tests before and after exercise * Provide small blood samples to measure body responses to exercise * Rate how hard the exercise feels * Report muscle soreness for up to two days after exercise The results may help researchers design safer and more effective power-training programs to improve strength, mobility, and recovery in older adults.

Interventions

• Behavioral Power Training at Different Fatigue Levels
  Participants perform supervised power-training exercises on a pneumatic leg press. The sessions are designed to test different levels of fatigue: 1. In one session, participants stop the exercise set when their movement speed drops by 10%. 2. In another session, they stop when their movement speed drops by 30%. 3. In a third session, participants perform the same total work as the 30% session, but stop at 10% velocity loss. Each session lasts a single training bout (4 sets), and is separated f

Primary outcome measures

• Maximum Voluntary Contraction (MVC) [Time frame: Measurements will be taken before exercise (baseline), 5 minutes after each training session, and 24 hours after each session.]

Secondary outcome measures (12)

• Rate of Torque Development (RTD) [Time frame: Measurements will be taken before exercise (baseline), 5 minutes after each training session, and 24 hours after each session.]
• Muscle Activity [Time frame: Measurements will be taken before exercise (baseline), during exercise session (mean value across the full session), 5 minutes post exercise, and 24 hours post exercise (3 exercise sessions, 1 week apart)]
• Strength Training Data: Mean Movement Velocity [Time frame: During each exercise session (mean values across the full session) (3 Sessions ; ~1 week apart)]
• Strength Training Data: Power [Time frame: During each exercise session (mean value across the full session) (3 Sessions ; ~1 week apart)]
• Strength Training Data: Total Number of Repetitions [Time frame: During each exercise session (mean value across the full session) (3 Sessions ; ~1 week apart)]
• Muscle Oxygenation [Time frame: Baseline (pre-exercise), continuously during each exercise session, 5 minutes post-exercise, and 24 hours post-exercise (for each of the 3 sessions, 1 week apart)]
• Blood Lactate [Time frame: Measurements will be taken at baseline and immediately post exercise session (3 sessions, 1 week apart)]
• Blood Gas [Time frame: Measurements will be taken at baseline and immediately post exercise session (3 sessions, 1 week apart).]
• Creatine Kinase (CK) [Time frame: Measurements will be taken at Baseline and 24 hours after each exercise session.]
• Functional Performance: Five-Repetition Sit-to-Stand Test [Time frame: Measurements will be taken at Baseline, immediate post exercise and 24 hours after each exercise session.]
• Functional Performance: Counter Movement Jump [Time frame: Measurements will be taken at Baseline, immediate post exercise and 24 hours after each exercise session.]
• Functional Performance: Stair Ascent test [Time frame: Measurements will be taken at Baseline, immediate post exercise and 24 hours after each exercise session.]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

Participants must:

• Be 65 to 85 years old.
• Be able to live independently and perform everyday activities without help.
• Not have regularly done resistance or strength training in the past year.
• Be able to understand study instructions and communicate in the study language.
• Have a recent statement from their treating physician confirming that their heart and blood vessels are healthy enough to safely take part in this study.

Exclusion criteria

Participants will not be eligible if they have any of the following:

• Unstable heart disease, neurological disease, acute infection, or fever.
• Use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, in the 5 days before the study.
• Use of whey protein, casein, or amino acid supplements in the month before the study.
• Acute or chronic injuries to the legs or lower body muscles.
• Any injury or condition that prevents safe leg extension exercises.
• Recent lower-limb joint replacement (less than 6 months ago).
• Dependence on walking aids.
• Current participation in another interventional trial.

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: Yes

Study design

Allocation

Randomized

Model

Crossover

Masking

Open label

Primary purpose

Prevention

Study locations

Belgium · 1 center

• REVAL - Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences — Diepenbeek

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07522398 · B1152025000035 · BOF25OWB22

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗