SEARCHRCTobstetrics and gynecology, endocrinology

RCT·obstetrics and gynecology, endocrinology, internal medicine, clinical trial, geriatrics·PMC10559623

Resistance training alters body composition in middle-aged women depending on menopause - A 20-week control trial

BMC Women's Health · 9 authors, 2 centres

AI SUMMARY

FIDELITY 100%

POPULATIONHealthy middle-aged women (40–60 years), stratified by menopausal status (pre- and post-menopausal)

INTERVENTION10-week intervention phase with resistance training twice a week using free weights, with 6–8 sets of each muscle per week, at either low (50% 1-RM) or moderate (75% 1-RM) intensity

COMPARISONPre- and post-menopausal groups; low- vs. moderate-intensity training

This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.

AGENT 01 · STRUCTURED SUMMARY

TRACE TO SOURCE

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TL;DR

It included a 10-week control phase with no training, followed by a 10-week intervention of twice-weekly free-weight resistance training.

Full summary

811 CHARS

It included a 10-week control phase with no training, followed by a 10-week intervention of twice-weekly free-weight resistance training. Participants were randomly assigned to low-intensity (50% 1-RM) or moderate-intensity (75% 1-RM) groups and further divided into pre- and post-menopausal based on hormone profiles. Statistical analysis used a linear mixed model. The central result was that while significant increases in 1-RM squat and bench press strength occurred in all groups, significant hypertrophy effects (increases in fat-free mass, muscle mass, and rectus femoris muscle thickness) were found exclusively in pre-menopausal women. These effects were not present in post-menopausal women. Limitations include a relatively small sample size and a specific intervention volume (6–8 sets/muscle/week).

PICO

PPOPULATION

Healthy middle-aged women (40–60 years), stratified by menopausal status (pre- and post-menopausal)

IINTERVENTION

10-week intervention phase with resistance training twice a week using free weights, with 6–8 sets of each muscle per week, at either low (50% 1-RM) or moderate (75% 1-RM) intensity

OOUTCOME

Body composition (fat-free mass, muscle mass, fat mass, muscle thickness) and strength (grip strength, 1-RM squat, 1-RM bench press)

STUDY TYPE

RCT

SPECIALTY

obstetrics and gynecology

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

FIDELITY CHECK

100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10559623

Resistance training alters body composition in middle-aged women depending on menopause - A 20-week control trial

BMC Women's Health

READ THE FULL PAPER

ABSTRACT

Abstract Background Resistance training (RT) is effective in counteracting the age- and menopause-related loss of muscle mass (MM) and strength in middle-aged women (40–60 years). Research on RT with free weights is limited in pre- and post-menopausal women. Based on this, a 20-week training intervention was conducted with this population to investigate the effects of systematic RT with free weights on strength capacity and body composition. Method Forty-one healthy women (52.0 ± 3.6 years) participated in this study. After 10-week control phase (no RT, T0-T1) followed by a 10-week intervention phase (T1-T2) with RT twice a week and 6–8 sets of each muscle per week. Subjects were randomly assigned to a low-intensity (50% 1-RM) or moderate-intensity (75% 1-RM) RT group and divided into pre-menopausal and post-menopausal according to their hormone profile. Fat-free mass (FFM), MM, fat mass (FM), muscle thickness (Vastus lateralis (VL), Rectus femoris (RF), Triceps brachii (TB)), grip strength, 1-RM squat and bench press were assessed before and after each phase. Statistical analysis was performed using a linear mixed model to account for fixed (time and group) and random (individual) effects. Results A total of 31 women successfully completed the study. No injuries occurred during the intervention. Significant increases in 1-RM squat and bench press were observed in all groups. No interaction effect was observed for the strength parameters. In pre-menopausal women, FFM, MM and RF muscle thickness increased significantly, while VL showed a trend. These effects were not present in post-menopausal women regardless of RT intensity. Conclusion RT with free weight is safe and effective for middle-aged women to increase 1-RM. Hypertrophy effects were found exclusively in pre-menopausal women. To achieve hypertrophy and/or body composition changes in post-menopausal women, larger training volumes (> 6–8 sets/muscle per week) are likely required. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12905-023-02671-y. Keywords: Middle-aged women, Menopause, Hypertrophy, Muscle mass, Resistance training, Strength

CITATION EXPORT

Eduard Isenmann, Dominik Kaluza, Tim Havers et al.. Resistance training alters body composition in middle-aged women depending on menopause - A 20-week control trial. BMC Women's Health. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-023-02671-y

AUTHORS

9 · 2 CENTRES

Eduard Isenmann, Dominik Kaluza, Tim Havers, Ana Elbeshausen, Stephan Geisler, Katharina Hofmann, Ulrich Flenker, Patrick Diel, Simon Gavanda

1Department of Fitness and Health, IST University of Applied Sciences, Düsseldorf, Germany
2Institute for Cardiovascular Research and Sports Medicine, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany