Functional health and skeletal muscle adaptations following a community-based resistance training program

Aging results in the attrition of skeletal muscle, observed by reductions in muscle cross sectional area (CSA) and muscle thickness (MT). This loss of muscle mass, most notable in the lower body, leads to increased fall risk. Resistance training (RT) can improve muscle mass; however, many of these studies used controlled laboratory-based RT interventions. Thus, a paucity of research exists on whether community-based RT programs can induce muscle mass adaptations in aging adults. Purpose: Measure the effectiveness of community-based RT for improving aging adults’ muscle mass and functional health. Methods: Twenty-four participants (x̄ age= 66.1 ± 9.9 yrs) attended 2, 1-hour sessions per week for 8 weeks. Each session included a warmup, 8 RT exercises, and a cool down. Pre/post-tests included muscle mass measurements of the vastus lateralis (VL) using ultrasound. These measurements included CSA, MT, and echogenicity (EI). General and functional health measurements included sleep quality scores, 30-second sit-to-stand, 5 sit-to-stand, 10-meter walk (MWT), back-scratch, sit-and-reach (SNR), medicine ball toss, and 6 balance poses. Statistical analyses included paired t-tests with Bonferroni corrections for multiple comparisons (new muscle mass α=0.02; new functional health α=0.006) and Cohen’s d effect sizes. Results: VL-CSA, MT, and EI improved (all p≤0.01, all d≥ 0.6), while MWT and SNR were the only significant functional health measures (p=0.001, d ≥0.8). Conclusion: Lower body muscle mass and functional health improved following an 8-week community-based RT program. Community-based RT programs, designed to be accessible and cost-effective, may be efficacious solutions to age-related declines in muscle mass and function. However, exploration into community-based RT program progression is warranted, therefore, this ongoing study will have an additional 8-week RT block consisting of more volume and greater intensities.