Does Greater Mental Effort during Exercise Enhance Strength Adaptations in Older Women?
Disciplines
Sports Sciences
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Background: Strength training is well known to slow down sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle strength. However, the prevalence of strength training is low, primarily in older women. Elastic band (EB) training offers a more accessible alternative, and it is possible a unique cognitive approach could enhance strength adaptations following training. The purpose of this study was to determine if heightened mental effort during EB training increases strength more than EB training alone. Methods: As part of an ongoing study, four older women (65-79 yrs.) with no prior training were randomized into a control (CON; n=2), EB training (EB; n=1), and EB training with high mental effort (EB+ME; n=1). Muscle strengthening exercises were carried out with elastic bands 3 days/week for 6 weeks. EB performed the exercises with generic, conventional instructions, while EB+ME did the same exercises but were instructed to “imagine their muscle contracting maximally”. Before and after the intervention period, strength was determined using a handgrip dynamometer. Percent change was calculated for each individual and group averages were compared. Results: EB demonstrated a 30.3% increase in strength, whereas EB+ME exhibited a 15.83% increase. CON demonstrated a 1.61% decrease in strength. Conclusions: While our sample size is far too small for gross interpretation, our preliminary findings suggest EB training increased handgrip strength, but greater mental effort did not appear to provide added benefit. More formal analysis will be performed in the future when we have a larger sample size. If our finding holds true, it is possible the lack of mental effort towards the handgrip muscles specifically, since this muscle group was not trained, could be a contributing factor. Nonetheless, the increase in handgrip strength with EB training is noteworthy.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
WCHHS - Exercise Science and Sport Management
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Garrett Hester
Additional Faculty
Jacob Grazer, Exercise Science and Sports Management, jgrazera@kennesaw.edu
Robert Buresh, Exercise Science and Sports Management, rburesh@kennesaw.edu
Does Greater Mental Effort during Exercise Enhance Strength Adaptations in Older Women?
Background: Strength training is well known to slow down sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle strength. However, the prevalence of strength training is low, primarily in older women. Elastic band (EB) training offers a more accessible alternative, and it is possible a unique cognitive approach could enhance strength adaptations following training. The purpose of this study was to determine if heightened mental effort during EB training increases strength more than EB training alone. Methods: As part of an ongoing study, four older women (65-79 yrs.) with no prior training were randomized into a control (CON; n=2), EB training (EB; n=1), and EB training with high mental effort (EB+ME; n=1). Muscle strengthening exercises were carried out with elastic bands 3 days/week for 6 weeks. EB performed the exercises with generic, conventional instructions, while EB+ME did the same exercises but were instructed to “imagine their muscle contracting maximally”. Before and after the intervention period, strength was determined using a handgrip dynamometer. Percent change was calculated for each individual and group averages were compared. Results: EB demonstrated a 30.3% increase in strength, whereas EB+ME exhibited a 15.83% increase. CON demonstrated a 1.61% decrease in strength. Conclusions: While our sample size is far too small for gross interpretation, our preliminary findings suggest EB training increased handgrip strength, but greater mental effort did not appear to provide added benefit. More formal analysis will be performed in the future when we have a larger sample size. If our finding holds true, it is possible the lack of mental effort towards the handgrip muscles specifically, since this muscle group was not trained, could be a contributing factor. Nonetheless, the increase in handgrip strength with EB training is noteworthy.