Strength training has a good effect even in the elderly.

Skeletal muscles are made up of fast and slow muscle fibers, and they behave differently as a result of exercise. By freezing muscle samples taken immediately after strength training, the researchers were able to study how different types of muscle fibers responded to training, in younger and older people, respectively.

The anabolic response has been studied

The main focus of the researcher was to study what the anabolic response to strength training looks like in different muscle fiber types. The anabolic response is the process that primarily controls muscle growth.

The study was conducted so that ten young men and ten older men had to perform a heavy strength training session. After the training session, the participants were given a protein-rich drink. Muscle samples were taken before and after training. It was found that both fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers showed a similar pattern, and that the pattern was not different in older subjects, despite the fact that fast-twitch muscle fibers are generally much smaller in older subjects.

Strength training is effective for the elderly

The result indicates that the ability of muscle fiber types to grow after strength training is preserved during aging. This, in turn, is further evidence that it’s never too late to start strength training, says Sebastian Edman, a researcher in the College of Physical Education and Sport (GIH).

In his thesis, Sebastian Edman also investigated whether there are differences between the energy-generating mitochondria of fast and slow muscle fibers. It is already known that slow sprinter muscle fibers have a high percentage of mitochondria, while fast sprinter fiber types have a lower percentage.

The metabolism in muscle fibers varies

However, in this investigation it can be shown that the mitochondria of different fiber types differ not only in number, but also in function. Slow muscle fibers have mitochondria that prioritize a resource efficient metabolism, while fast muscle fibers have a fast metabolism but are less resource efficient.

The different mitochondrial metabolism of different types of fiber could be of great importance in the way we look at exercise in disease prevention in the future, says Sebastian Edman.

thesis:

Types of skeletal muscle fibers in humans .

stopper:

Sebastian Edman, GIH Researcher, [email protected]