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To date, no meta-analytical study evaluating the benefits of resistance exercise intervention on muscular strength and power and functional capacity in acute hospitalized older adults was conducted. Then, to synthesize the emerging evidence on the effects of resistance exercise intervention on muscular strength and power and functional capacity in acute hospitalized older adults, two independent authors performed a systematic search (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and SciELO) until January 2021. Randomized clinical trials were included regarding the effects of resistance exercise and hospital usual care. The Cochrane Collaboration assessment tool was used to analyze the risk of bias. The comparisons included muscular strength (isometric handgrip strength and one-repetition maximum test of leg press), muscular power (output during leg press exercise), and functional capacity (timed-up-and-go, and short physical performance battery). Resistance exercise intervention increased muscular strength (isometric handgrip strength: mean difference = 2.50 kg, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.33, 3.67; and one-repetition maximum test of leg press: mean difference = 19.28 kg, 95% confidence interval = 14.70, 23.86) and muscular power (mean difference = 29.52 W, 95% confidence interval = 28.84, 30.21), and functional capacity (timed-up-and-go: mean difference = 3.40 s, 95% confidence interval = 0.47, 6.36; and short physical performance battery: mean difference = 1.29 points, 95% confidence interval = 0.10, 2.48) at discharge compared with hospital usual care. This meta-analysis endorses the increase of muscular strength and power gains and improving the functional capacity in favor of resistance exercise intervention in acute hospitalized older adults. TRIAL REGISTRATION: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020203658 SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11357-021-00446-7.

The study aimed to compare the effect of performing the same or different exercises for a muscle group on resistance training (RT) sessions on muscle hypertrophy at different sites along muscle length. Twenty-two detrained men (23.3±4.1 years) were randomly allocated to the following groups: a group that performed the same exercises in all training sessions (N-VAR=11) or one that varied the exercises for the same muscle groups (VAR=11). All were submitted to 3 weekly sessions for nine weeks. Muscle thickness was assessed at the proximal, middle, and distal sites of the lateral and anterior thigh, elbow flexors, and extensors by B-mode ultrasound. The VAR group significantly increased all the sites analyzed (P0.05). Our results suggest that to perform different resistance exercises can induce hypertrophy of all sites assessed in detrained young men.

We compared the magnitude of muscular strength changes among older women occupants of different strength tertiles in response to progressive resistance-training (RT). Additionally, we examined the possibility of older women initially characterized as weak (occupants of the lower tertile of strength status) can achieve a higher muscular strength level to be inserted into a better category (middle or upper tertiles). The present investigation was attended by 113 physically independent older women (>60 years old). Muscular strength was assessed by one-repetition maximum (1RM) tests on chest press, preacher curl, leg extension exercises, and by the isokinetic (ISOK) peak torque of knee extension and flexion at 60 and 180°/s angular velocities. The RT lasted 12 weeks (3 x/week) and consisted of eight exercises for the whole body. The participants were divided into tertiles (LOWER, MIDDLE, and UPPER) according to the performance at baseline for each strength measure. After RT, the LOWER tertile showed more significant magnitude gains than the UPPER tertile to the 1RM in leg extension and preacher curl and isokinetic measurements (6.9–36.3%). A considerable number of older women increased muscular strength enough to move from LOWER to MIDDLE or UPPER tertiles. From our results, it can be inferred that older women occupants of the lower strength tertile show more significant muscular strength gains when compared to their stronger counterparts. Moreover, 12 weeks of RT seem to be sufficient to transfer older women previously characterized as “weak” to a better category.

Nunes, JP, Costa, BDV, Kassiano, W, Kunevaliki, G, Castro-e-Souza, P, Rodacki, ALF, Fortes, LS, and Cyrino, ES. Different foot positioning during calf training to induce portion-specific gastrocnemius muscle hypertrophy. J Strength Cond Res 34(8): 2347-2351, 2020-The aim of this study was to compare the changes in gastrocnemius muscle thickness (MT) between conditions such as which foot was pointed outward (FPO), foot was pointed inward (FPI), or foot was pointed forward (FPF). Twenty-two young men (23 ± 4 years) were selected and performed a whole-body resistance training program 3 times per week for 9 weeks, with differences in the exercise specific for calves. The calf-raise exercise was performed unilaterally, in a pin-loaded seated horizontal leg-press machine, in 3 sets of 20-25 repetitions for training weeks 1-3 and 4 sets for weeks 4-9. Each subject's leg was randomly assigned for 1 of the 3 groups according to the foot position: FPO, FPI, and FPF. Measurements with a B-mode ultrasound were performed to assess changes in MT of medial and lateral gastrocnemius heads. After the training period, there were observed increases in MT of both medial (FPO = 8.4%, FPI = 3.8%, and FPF = 5.8%) and lateral (FPO = 5.5%, FPI = 9.1%, and FPF = 6.4%) gastrocnemius heads, and significant differences for magnitude of the gains were observed between FPO and FPI conditions (p < 0.05). Positioning FPO potentiated the increases in MT of the medial gastrocnemius head, whereas FPI provided greater gains for the lateral gastrocnemius head. Our results suggest that head-specific muscle hypertrophy may be obtained selectively for gastrocnemius after 9 weeks of calf training in young male adults.