Effects of a Resistance Training Program in Older Women With Sarcopenia
Condition: Sarcopenia
MeSH terms: Sarcopenia
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This is a randomized clinical trial with a control group that will test how periodized
      resistance training will impact measures of sarcopenia in older women who have been
      identified as presarcopenic or sarcopenic. The intervention will be approximately 12 weeks in
      duration with 24 total free-living older women. Outcome measures will be collected at
      baseline, 6 weeks and post-intervention.
    

Detailed description: 
      New sarcopenia (i.e. the age-related loss of muscle mass) guidelines established in 2014
      recommend identifying older individuals for interventions who have low muscle strength and/or
      gait speed as these functional measures are associated with low muscle mass and subsequent
      negative health consequences such as increased mortality risk. Moreover, consensus guidelines
      indicate that more research, especially in older women, needs to be conducted to test the
      efficacy of periodized (i.e. planned variations in the program) resistance exercise training
      (RT) protocols in individuals who have been identified as sarcopenic or at risk of
      sarcopenia. Our interdisciplinary research group has conducted and published the results of
      several intervention studies in older adults and would like to expand this line of research
      to fill a critical gap in the current research. The broad objective of this research project
      is to help determine the efficacy of a periodized RT intervention strategy to treat
      sarcopenia or presarcopenia and its correlates among older women. The specific primary aim is
      to determine if there is significant effect of a RT program for improving physical
      functioning and muscle mass in older women. Exploratory aims are determine the impact of the
      RT intervention on other measures including bone density, lipoproteins, and other health
      indicators. The long-term goal of this project is to generate essential data for the
      submission of a more comprehensive NIH or private agency grant. The research design will be a
      randomized trial with a control group and methodology of this study will include 25
      community-dwelling older women (age 65-84 years) for a 12-week repeated measures (baseline, 6
      week, and post) randomized study with a six month observational follow-up. After baseline
      testing, participants will be randomized to either a RT intervention group (RTI) or to an
      active control (CON) group. The RT intervention will take place three times per week on
      non-consecutive days using 8-10 exercises for major muscle groups utilizing free weights and
      machines follow American College of Sports Medicine and National Strength and Conditioning
      Association guidelines for RT in older adults. The CON group will meet three times weekly for
      light physical activity and stretching. The relevance of this research is very significant as
      no studies to date have specifically examined RT in older women who have been identified as
      sarcopenic or presarcopenic using newly established guidelines. This study will accept all
      potential participants meeting inclusion criteria, regardless of ethnic, racial, or religious
      backgrounds.
    

Intervention name(s): Resistance Training Intervention; Active Control Group
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The RTI group will participate in a periodized RT program on 3 non-consecutive days/week using NSCA and ACSM guidelines and will be designed by a team member who is a NSCA certified strength and conditioning specialist. This program will consist of a full-body, nonlinear periodized program: a training method that has frequent variations in program variables. Intensity variations intensity are based on training phase. E.g., the first portion of 12-week cycle has more moderate and light days as participants adapt to the program. Weeks 1-4 will consist of primarily RT machine exercises and few unilateral and multi-joint light free weight exercise. Weeks 5-8 will incorporate more free-weight exercises that are multi-joint. Weeks 9-12 will incorporate more complex multi-joint movements.; The CON group will meet three times weekly for approximately 12 weeks for light physical activity and stretching.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Other
Keywords: Sarcopenia; aging; resistance training; physical functioning