Bigger calves from doing higher resistance training volume?

We compared the effects of different calf training weekly sets on muscle size changes. Sixty-one untrained young women performed a calf training program for 6 weeks, 3 d·wk-1, with differences in the resistance training volume. The participants were randomly assigned to 1 of the 3 groups: 6-SET, 9-SET, and 12-SET calf training weekly sets. The calf raise exercise was performed in sets of 15-20 repetitions maximum. The muscle thickness measurements of medial gastrocnemius (MG), lateral gastrocnemius (LG), and soleus (SOL) were taken via B-mode ultrasound. We used the sum of the three-muscle thickness as a proxy for the triceps surae (TSSUM). The 12-SET group elicited greater increases than 6-SET in LG (6-SET = +8.1% vs. 12-SET = +14.3%; P = 0.017), SOL (6-SET = +6.7% vs. 12-SET = +12.7%; P = 0.024), and TSSUM (6-SET = +6.9% vs. 12-SET = +12.0%; P = 0.005), but there was no significant difference in MG changes (6-SET = +6.6% vs. 12-SET = +9.9%; P = 0.067). There were no significant differences when comparing 9-SET vs. 6-SET and 12-SET (P ≥ 0.099). Although all groups experienced calf muscle hypertrophy, our results suggest that the higher dose range may optimize triceps surae muscle size gains.

Greater Gastrocnemius Muscle Hypertrophy After Partial Range of Motion Training Performed at Long Muscle Lengths.

ABSTRACT: Kassiano, W, Costa, B, Kunevaliki, G, Soares, D, Zacarias, G, Manske, I, Takaki, Y, Ruggiero, MF, Stavinski, N, Francsuel, J, Tricoli, I, Carneiro, MAS, and Cyrino, ES. Greater gastrocnemius muscle hypertrophy after partial range of motion training performed at long muscle lengths. J Strength Cond Res 37(9): 1746-1753, 2023-Whether there is an optimal range of motion (ROM) to induce muscle hypertrophy remains elusive, especially for gastrocnemius. This study aimed to compare the changes in gastrocnemius muscle thickness between calf raise exercise performed with full ROM (FULL ROM ), partial ROM performed in the initial (INITIAL ROM ), and final (FINAL ROM ) portions of the ROM. Forty-two young women performed a calf training program for 8 weeks, 3 days·week -1 , with differences in the calf raise ROM configuration. The calf raise exercise was performed in a pin-loaded, horizontal, leg-press machine, in 3 sets of 15-20 repetition maximum. The subjects were randomly assigned to 1 of the 3 groups: FULL ROM (ankle: -25° to +25°), INITIAL ROM (ankle: -25° to 0°), and FINAL ROM (ankle: 0° to +25°), where 0° was defined as an angle of 90° of the foot with the tibia. The muscle thickness measurements of medial and lateral gastrocnemius were taken by means of B-mode ultrasound. INITIAL ROM elicited greater medial gastrocnemius increases than FULL ROM and FINAL ROM (INITIAL ROM = +15.2% vs. FULL ROM = +6.7% and FINAL ROM = +3.4%; p ≤ 0.009). Furthermore, INITIAL ROM elicited greater lateral gastrocnemius increases than FINAL ROM (INITIAL ROM = +14.9% vs. FINAL ROM = +6.2%; p < 0.024) but did not significantly differ from FULL ROM (FULL ROM = +7.3%; p = 0.060). The current results suggest that calf training performed at longer muscle lengths may optimize gastrocnemius muscle hypertrophy in young women. Therefore, when prescribing hypertrophy-oriented training, the inclusion of the calf raise exercise performed with partial ROM in the initial portion of the excursion should be considered.

Muscle Swelling of the Triceps Surae in Response to Straight-Leg and Bent-Leg Calf Raise Exercises in Young Women.

ABSTRACT: Kassiano, W, Costa, B, Kunevaliki, G, Soares, D, Stavinski, N, Francsuel, J, Carneiro, MAS, Tricoli, I, Nunes, JP, Ribeiro, AS, and Cyrino, ES. Muscle swelling of the triceps surae in response to straight-leg and bent-leg calf raise exercises in young women. J Strength Cond Res 37(7): e438-e443, 2023-Triceps surae muscle swelling in response to different resistance exercises remains to be determined. This study compared the effects of straight-leg (STRA-leg) calf raise vs. bent-leg (BENT-leg) calf raise exercises on triceps surae muscle swelling. Seventeen young women (23.7 ± 4.0 years; 67.4 ± 16.0 kg; and 163.5 ± 7.2 cm) performed 2 resistance training sessions; in one, they performed the STRA-leg calf raise, and in another, they performed the BENT-leg calf raise. A randomized, cross-over, and counterbalanced design was adopted for this investigation. The subjects performed 4 sets of 20 repetitions maximum until concentric muscular failure. The muscle thickness of the gastrocnemius medial (GM), gastrocnemius lateral (GL), and soleus (SOL) was taken through B-mode ultrasound before and immediately after the calf raise exercises. STRA-leg calf raise elicited greater increases in muscle thickness of GM (+8.8% vs. -0.9%, p < 0.001) and GL (+14.5% vs. +7.0%, p < 0.001) than BENT-leg calf raise. Conversely, BENT-leg calf raise elicited greater increases in SOL muscle thickness than STRA-leg calf raise (+15.4% vs. +7.7%, p < 0.001). From a practical perspective, the STRA-leg calf raise should be preferred if the aim is stimulating the 3 muscles that comprise the triceps surae, whereas the BENT-leg calf raise should be prioritized if the target muscle is the SOL.

Age and Sex-Related Associations between Marital Status, Physical Activity and TV Time.

Marital status mediates an association between physical activity (PA) and TV time with health outcomes. However, population-based studies have revealed that the health effect of marriage or divorce is age-dependent and differs between women and men. The study aimed to identify the age and sex-related associations between marital status with PA and TV time. We used data from Vigitel, an annual telephone survey started in 2006 in Brazil. We applied a complex sample logistic regression model to estimate the odds for PA and TV time comparing marital statuses according to age and sex subgroups, independent of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, self-assessed poor health, and smoking. Our sample included 561,837 individuals from 18 to 99 years, with a TV time > 3 h/day (prevalence = 25.2%) and PA > 150 min/week (prevalence = 35%). Later, we divided our sample in seven age groups by marital status and sex. Compared to single individuals, married men and women were less likely to watch TV more than 3 h/day in participants >30 years old. When compared to single, married participants were less likely to do more than 150 min of PA/week at younger age groups. Married women older than 40 years were more likely to do more than 150 min of PA/week than the single ones, while there were no differences among married men by age group. In conclusion, our study suggests that the investments in public policies to encourage the practice of PA and reduction of TV time could be based on the marital status, sex, and age, prioritizing less active groups.

Different types of physical exercise in brain activity of older adults: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: To verify the effects of different modalities of physical exercise on brain activity of older adults. METHODS: Systematic searches were conducted according to the PICOS strategy and the following databases were searched: PubMed, Web of Science, PsycInfo and Scielo. Two independent evaluators performed the initial selection from reading the title and abstract based on the stipulated eligibility criteria. RESULTS: The searches resulted in 1935 titles, of which 97 were duplicated and 1793 were excluded based on reading the titles and abstracts. This phase resulted in 45 articles for detailed analysis. At this stage, 35 articles were excluded because they did not meet the eligibility criteria. The information for qualitative analysis was extracted from 10 articles that met the criteria. CONCLUSION: There was improvement in the brain activity of older adults regardless of the type of physical exercise performed (aerobic, neuromuscular, flexibility or neuromotor), but with a discrete advantage for balance and coordination exercises (neuromotor).

Weaker older women gain more lower body strength than their stronger counterparts, but not muscle mass, following 12 weeks of resistance training.

We compared the magnitude of strength and muscle mass changes in response to resistance training (RT) between stronger older women and their weaker counterparts. Older women (n = 207) were grouped into tertiles according to their baseline muscular strength index. The upper and lower tertiles participants were categorized as stronger (STR, n = 69) and weaker (WKR, n = 69), respectively. Both groups engaged in a 12-week whole-body RT program. Outcomes included one-repetition maximum (1RM) tests in the three lifts and assessment of segmental lean soft tissue (LST) and skeletal muscle mass (SMM). The 1RM increase was similar between groups for the chest press [between-groups effect size of the differences (ESdiff) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 0.10 (95%CI: -0.52, 0.31), P = 0.617] and preacher curl [ESdiff = 0.08 (95%CI: -0.48, 0.32), P = 0.681]. Changes were greater in WKR than STR for 1RM leg extension [ESdiff = -0.45 (95%CI: -0.86, -0.04), P = 0.030]. The increases of segmental LST and SMM were similar between-groups (ESdiff contains zero, P ≥ 0.434). We conclude that stronger and weaker older women benefit similarly for muscle mass and upper-limb strength gains. Notably, weaker older women may experience greater lower-limbs strength gains.

Effect of myofascial release on lower limb range of motion, sit and reach and horizontal jump distance in male university students.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the effects of Myofascial release (MR) on lower limb ROM, sit and reach and horizontal jump distance in male university students. STUDY DESIGN: Quasi-experimental study. BACKGROUND: MR is a technique that aims to stretch fascia to increase range of motion (ROM), relieve pressure points and improve performance. However, there is limited evidence of its actual effects on flexibility and physical performance. METHODS: Twenty-one uninjured, male university students received MR (11 on the first session and the other 10 on the second session 24 h later), completed lower limb ROM assessments, the sit and reach and the horizontal jump tests in a randomized order. MR was performed before the tests with a myofascial stick in the anterior and posterior aspects of the right and left thigh and calf muscles. Each muscle group was massaged for 90 s, totaling 9 min of MR. The testing conditions with MR and without MR were compared using Student t-tests and the effect sizes (ES) were calculated. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the testing conditions on horizontal jump distance. However, the sit and reach distance (28 ± 9 vs. 32 ± 9 cm, p = 0.001; ES = 0.44), left hip extension (10 ± 2 vs. 8 ± 2°, p = 0.006; ES = 1.00) and left plantar flexion (36 ± 7 vs. 39 ± 7°, p = 0.044; ES = 0.43) were higher with MR. CONCLUSIONS: MR increased sit and reach distance, left hip extension and plantar flexion, but it did not affect horizontal jump distance in uninjured, male university students.

EFFECTS OF BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION TRAINING ON HANDGRIP STRENGTH AND MUSCULAR VOLUME OF YOUNG WOMEN.

BACKGROUND: High-intensity training methods are generally recommended to increase muscle mass and strength, with training loads of 60-70% 1RM for novice and 80-100% 1RM for advanced individuals. Blood flow restriction training, despite using lower intensities (30-50% 1RM), can provide similar improvements in muscle mass and strength. However, studies commonly investigate the effects of blood flow restriction training in large muscular groups, whereas there are few studies that investigated those effects in smaller muscle groups, such as the muscles involved in grasping (e.g, wrist flexors; finger flexors). Clinically, smaller muscular groups should also be considered in intervention programs, given that repetitive stress, such as repeated strain injuries, affects upper limbs and may lead to chronic pain and incapacity for work. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of blood flow restriction training in strength and anthropometric indicators of muscular volume in young women. HYPOTHESIS: The effect of blood flow restriction training in handgrip strength (HGS) and muscular volume of young women can be similar to traditional training, even with lower loads. METHODS: Twenty-eight university students, 18 to 25 years of age, were randomly assigned into two groups, blood flow restriction training (BFR, n = 14) and traditional training (TRAD, n = 14). The anthropometric measures and maximum handgrip strength (MHGS) test were performed before and after the intervention. The participants did three weekly sessions of dynamic concentric contraction exercises on a dynamometer for four weeks (12 sessions). Each session had a time length of five minutes and the intensity was established from a percentage of MHGS at 30-35% in the first week, 40-45% in the second and 50-55% in third/fourth weeks. Three sets of 15-25 handgrip repetitions were performed until a failure with a 30 seconds rest for BFR training and three sets of 8-12 repetitions with one-minute rest for TRAD training. RESULTS: A significant increase was found in the arm muscle circumference (20.6 ± 2.2 vs 21.6 ± 1.7cm) and right MHGS (32.7 ± 4.5 vs 34.3 ± 4.1 kgf) and left MHGS (28.0 ± 5.5 vs 30.9 ± 4.1 kgf) for the BFR training, and the left MHGS (27.6 ± 5.0 vs 31.0 ± 6.1 kgf) for the TRAD training. CONCLUSION: Dynamometer training with blood flow restriction, performed with low to moderate loads, was more effective than the traditional training in increasing HGS and muscle volume in young women. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b.