Clinical trial NCT05263115: Stair Climbing Exercise Versus Traditional Resistance Exercise
Official title: An Individualized Stair Climbing Program Versus Traditional Resistance Exercise: Effects on Strength, Power, Functional Performance and Cognition in Older Adults
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Exercise Training
Lead sponsor: KU Leuven
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2022-03-02
Enrollment: 46
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 65
Maximum age (years): 80
Standard ages: OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: Current evidence suggests resistance exercise as the primary therapeutic strategy to prevent age-related functional decline. The National Strength and Conditioning Association recently stated that a properly designed resistance exercise program should include power exercises performed at higher velocities in concentric movements with moderate intensities. We should be aware that not all older adults are easily motivated to train in unfamiliar gym-based settings with high subscription fees. Therefore, implementation of traditional gym-based resistance exercise at a large scale has been found to be difficult. Interestingly, we have previously shown that the use of high external loads, which implies the need for specific facility memberships, is not necessary to induce neuromuscular gains. This provides strong support for home-based training intervention strategies. Stair climbing or stepping-based exercise constitute a promising avenue to ameliorate the cost-effectiveness and implementation potential of resistance exercise in older adults. Such exercises can induce muscular activation levels similar to high-load resistance exercise and result in similar or even better gains in muscle mass, strength and power compared to slow-speed resistance exercise when properly designed. However, the (neuro)-muscular effects of stair climbing exercise have never been compared to the more optimal power-oriented resistance exercise, which is the primary aim of this study. The secondary aim of this study is to examine if stair climbing exercise also has beneficial effects on cognition.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

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Exclusion Criteria:

* Unstable cardiovascular disease
* Neurological disorders
* Cognitive malfunctioning (MoCA \< 24)
* Low level of physical function (SPPB \< 7)
* Acute infections/fever
* Severe musculoskeletal problems
* Systematic engagement in (resistance) exercise in the 12 months prior to participation

Primary outcomes:
measure: F-V profile
timeFrame: Change from baseline in F-v profile at 12 weeks
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Gait speed
timeFrame: Change from baseline in gait speed at 12 weeks
measure: 5-repetition sit-to-stand time
timeFrame: Change from baseline in sit-to-stand performance at 12 weeks
measure: 5-repetition sit-to-stand power
timeFrame: Change from baseline in sit-to-stand performance at 12 weeks
measure: Stair ascent time
timeFrame: Change from baseline in stair climbing performance at 12 weeks.
measure: Stair ascent power
timeFrame: Change from baseline in stair climbing performance at 12 weeks.
measure: Countermovement jump height
timeFrame: Change from baseline in countermovement jump height at 12 weeks.
measure: MoCA test score
timeFrame: Change from baseline in Montrial Cognitive Assessment test score at 12 weeks.
measure: Digit Span Test score
timeFrame: Change from baseline in Digit Span Test score at 12 weeks.
measure: Trail Making Test Time
timeFrame: Change from baseline in Trail Making Test at 12 weeks.
measure: Stroop Test number of words
timeFrame: Change from baseline in Stroop Test at 12 weeks.
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Leuven
country: Belgium
facility: Department of Movement Sciences
Study officials:
References: