Abstract
The present study aimed to determine the effect of detraining on muscle quality (MQ) in older men with osteosarcopenia. Forty-three community-dwelling older men (78 ± 4 years) were randomly allocated to a consistently supervised high-intensity resistance exercise training (HIRT) group (n = 21) or a control group (CG, n = 22). The HIRT scheduled a periodized single set protocol twice weekly. After the intervention, the men were subjected to six months of detraining. Muscle quality (MQ), defined as maximum isokinetic hip/leg extensor strength per unit of mid-thigh intra-fascia volume, was determined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or per unit of thigh muscle mass assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Intention-to-treat analysis with multiple imputations was applied. We observed significant exercise effects for MQ (p = 0.001). During detraining, the HIRT group lost about one-third of the intervention-induced gain and displayed significantly (p = 0.001) higher MQ reductions compared to the CG. Nevertheless, after training and detraining, the overall intervention effect on MQ remained significant (p ≤ 0.004). In summary, six months of absence from HIRT induce a significant deleterious effect on MQ in older osteosarcopenic men. We conclude that intermitted training programs with training breaks of six months and longer should be replaced by largely continuous exercise programs, at least when addressing MQ parameters.
Highlights
Losing muscle mass and function are undeniable developments during advanced aging
In a recent detraining study in older men [9], we reported significant reductions in both muscle mass and function, with much more pronounced effects on mass
Considering the relevance of both parameters in the field of sarcopenia [10], it may be a good idea to focus on muscle quality (MQ), typically defined as muscle strength per unit of muscle mass [11], as a combined study outcome in training or detraining studies
Summary
Losing muscle mass and function (i.e., sarcopenia) are undeniable developments during advanced aging. Considering that breaks in exercise routines might be frequent situations in older adults’ lives [4], it is surprising that only a few studies address “detraining” on sarcopenia parameters after previous conditioning. In a recent detraining study in older men [9], we reported significant reductions in both muscle mass and function, with much more pronounced effects on mass. We aimed to determine the effect of detraining on MQ. We applied both dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) as the reference standard to determine lean body/muscle mass [12]
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