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Musculoskeletal responses to high- and low-intensity resistance training in early postmenopausal women
Bemben DA, Fetters NL, Bemben MG, Nabavi N, Koh ET
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 2000 Nov;32(11):1949-1957
clinical trial
4/10 [Eligibility criteria: Yes; Random allocation: Yes; Concealed allocation: No; Baseline comparability: Yes; Blind subjects: No; Blind therapists: No; Blind assessors: No; Adequate follow-up: No; Intention-to-treat analysis: No; Between-group comparisons: Yes; Point estimates and variability: Yes. Note: Eligibility criteria item does not contribute to total score] *This score has been confirmed*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a high-load (80%, 1-repetition maximum (RM), 8 reps) and a high-repetition (40%, 1-RM, 16 reps) resistance training protocol on muscular strength and bone mineral density (BMD) in early postmenopausal, estrogen-deficient women. The 6-month programs were matched initially for training volume (3 sets, 3 d/wk) for 12 exercises selected to specifically load the spine and hip. METHODS: Subjects included 25 women (41 to 60 yr) who were matched by spine BMD then randomly assigned to either the high-load (HL, N = 10), high-repetition (HR, N = 7), or control (C, N = 8) groups. Dietary calcium intakes were supplemented to approximately 1,500 mg/d. Total body, spine, and hip BMD (DXA, Lunar Model DPX-IQ), upper and lower body muscular strength, and biochemical markers of bone turnover were measured at baseline and after 6 months of training. RESULTS: There were no group differences in the baseline measures. Both training groups showed similar increases in biceps (20%) and rectus femoris (28 to 33%) cross-sectional areas, in lower body strength (approximately 30%) and in hip strength (37 to 40%). HL showed greater improvements in upper body strength (HL 25%, HR 16%). Neither training group experienced significant increases in spine or hip BMD, although the HL total body BMD tended to decrease (-1.1% +/- 0.4, p = 0.054) after training. Osteocalcin tended to increase (p = 0.08) in all groups after training, and the % change in osteocalcin was positively related to % changes in the total hip (r = 0.41, p = 0.048) and the trochanter (r = 0.42, p = 0.04) BMD. CONCLUSION: The high-load and high-repetition resistance training protocols were both effective in improving muscular strength and size in postmenopausal women, indicating low-intensity resistance training can be beneficial for the muscular fitness in women for whom high-intensity exercise is contraindicated.

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