The Effects of Heavier- and Lighter-load Resistance Training on Arm and Leg Muscle Mass in Young Adult Women (FHALL)

The Effects of Higher- And Lower-Load Resistance Exercise Training on Leg and Arm Skeletal Muscle Mass in Healthy Young Adult Females

When you perform weightlifting, your body makes new proteins within your muscle. These new proteins can increase the size of the fibers within your muscle to make your muscle larger, a process called hypertrophy. The common convention surrounding gains in muscle mass and strength are that higher-loads (i.e. heavier weights) used for fewer repetitions are better for increasing strength and lower-loads (i.e. lighter weights) used for higher repetitions are better for increasing muscle mass. However, recent research has found that when higher- and lower-loads are used when participants exercise until volitional fatigue (i.e. cannot perform another repetition), muscle mass and strength increases are similar regardless of using a higher- or lower-load. Many of these studies have examined this effect in males with fewer studies examining the effects of higher- and lower-load training in females when assessing changes in muscle mass, strength, and muscle endurance.

Further, it has been shown that there is substantial individual variation in response to resistance exercise training where individuals can be broadly categorized as higher- or lower-responders to resistance exercise training. This study aims to explore how the muscle mass, strength, and muscle endurance of females are impacted by both higher- and lower-loads while also exploring how individuals may respond to the training interventions.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Higher-load resistance training; Other: Lower-load resistance training

Detailed Description

The study will be a total of 12 weeks in total duration. Weeks 1 and 12 will include testing assessments of skeletal muscle mass, muscle strength, and muscle endurance. Weeks 2-11 will be comprised of the resistance training intervention wherein participants will train thrice weekly at the Chan Gunn Pavilion research laboratory at the University of British Columbia.

Resistance training sessions will include unilateral knee extensions and unilateral dumbbell bicep preacher curls with each being performed for three sets. Limbs assigned to train with higher-loads will perform between 8-12 repetitions per set and limbs assigned to train with lower-loads will perform between 20-25 repetitions per set. Participants will rest 90 seconds between sets and 120 seconds between exercises. Each exercise will be performed in its entirety before moving on to the next.

Participants will also be supplemented with whey protein which will be ingested twice daily during the resistance training phase.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 16
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • British Columbia
    • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6T 1Z3
      • The University of British Columbia

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 30 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Female
2. 18-30 years of age
3. Can fluently read and write in English
4. Able to commit to three training sessions per week for a continuous 10-week period as well as testing one week before and one week after this 10-week training period
5. All "No" answers on the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology Get Active questionnaire or doctors' approval to participate

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Allergic to dairy products or are lactose-intolerant (participants will be supplemented with whey protein twice daily for the 10-week training period)
2. Allergic to any of the following ingredients which are present in the whey protein concentrate supplement: Bos taurus - Milk, Cocoa, Natural and Artificial Flavours, Xanthan Gum, Sucralose, Non-genetically modified organism Sunflower Lecithin
3. Any major uncontrolled cardiovascular, muscular, metabolic, and/or neurological disorders
4. Lung or kidney disease
5. Medical conditions impacting on their ability to undertake strenuous physical activity
6. Regular use of any mental health medications that may lead to excessive weight gain (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, second generation antipsychotics, antiepileptic drugs)
7. Participated in consistent resistance exercise training more than twice per month in the previous 12 months
8. Participated in consistent vigorous aerobic training more than twice per week in the previous 12 months
9. Significant gain or loss of body mass in the past 6 months (greater than 2 kg)
10. Current smoker
11. BMI less than 18 or over 30

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Higher-load limbs; This treatment arm will have participants performing resistance training with loads of ~80% of an individuals one-repetition maximum. Each participant will have one arm and one leg assigned to this condition.	Other: Higher-load resistance training; This intervention will have one arm and one leg of each participant training with ~80% of their one repetition maximum
Active Comparator: Lower-load limbs; This treatment arm will have participants performing resistance training with loads of ~30% of an individuals one-repetition maximum. Each participant will have one arm and one leg assigned to this condition.	Other: Lower-load resistance training; This intervention will have one arm and one leg of each participant training with ~30% of their one repetition maximum

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in upper- and lower-body skeletal muscle mass between weeks 1 and 12	The total skeletal muscle mass measured in each individual arm and leg quantified using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scanning	Weeks 1 and 12

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in unilateral dumbbell bicep preacher curl one repetition maximum between weeks 1 and 12	The maximum amount of weight that an individual can move for one full repetition during the unilateral dumbbell bicep preacher curl exercise	Weeks 1 and 12
Change in unilateral knee extension one repetition maximum between weeks 1 and 12	The maximum amount of weight that an individual can move for one full repetition during the unilateral knee extension exercise	Weeks 1 and 12
Change in unilateral dumbbell bicep preacher curl relative muscle endurance between weeks 1 and 12	The maximum number of repetitions that can be completed with 30% and 80% of the individuals current one repetition maximum for the unilateral dumbbell bicep preacher curl exercise	Weeks 1 and 12
Change in unilateral dumbbell bicep preacher curl absolute muscle endurance between weeks 1 and 12	The maximum number of repetitions that can be completed with 30% and 80% of the individuals baseline one repetition maximum for the unilateral dumbbell bicep preacher curl exercise	Weeks 1 and 12
Change in unilateral knee extension relative muscle endurance between weeks 1 and 12	The maximum number of repetitions that can be completed with 30% and 80% of the individuals current one repetition maximum for the unilateral knee extension exercise	Weeks 1 and 12
Change in unilateral knee extension absolute muscle endurance between weeks 1 and 12	The maximum number of repetitions that can be completed with 30% and 80% of the individuals baseline one repetition maximum for the unilateral knee extension exercise	Weeks 1 and 12
Change in Vastus Lateralis and Biceps Brachii Cross Sectional Area between weeks 1 and 12	The cross sectional area of the vastus lateralis and biceps brachii muscles measured using ultrasonography	Weeks 1 and 12
Change in Vastus Lateralis and Biceps Brachii Muscle Thickness between weeks 1 and 12	The thickness of the vastus lateralis and biceps brachii muscles measured using ultrasonography	Weeks 1 and 12
Change in Vastus Lateralis Pennation Angle between weeks 1 and 12	The pennation angle of the vastus lateralis muscle fibers measured using ultrasonography	Weeks 1 and 12
Change in Vastus Lateralis Fascicle Length between weeks 1 and 12	The length of the fascicles of the vastus lateralis muscle measured using ultrasonography	Weeks 1 and 12

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of British Columbia
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Cameron J Mitchell, PhD, University of British Columbia

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Campos GE, Luecke TJ, Wendeln HK, Toma K, Hagerman FC, Murray TF, Ragg KE, Ratamess NA, Kraemer WJ, Staron RS. Muscular adaptations in response to three different resistance-training regimens: specificity of repetition maximum training zones. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2002 Nov;88(1-2):50-60. doi: 10.1007/s00421-002-0681-6. Epub 2002 Aug 15.
• Mitchell CJ, Churchward-Venne TA, West DW, Burd NA, Breen L, Baker SK, Phillips SM. Resistance exercise load does not determine training-mediated hypertrophic gains in young men. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2012 Jul;113(1):71-7. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00307.2012. Epub 2012 Apr 19.
• Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and Hypertrophy Adaptations Between Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res. 2017 Dec;31(12):3508-3523. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002200.
• Roberts BM, Nuckols G, Krieger JW. Sex Differences in Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Strength Cond Res. 2020 May;34(5):1448-1460. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003521.
• Franco CMC, Carneiro MADS, Alves LTH, Junior GNO, de Sousa JFR, Orsatti FL. Lower-Load is More Effective Than Higher-Load Resistance Training in Increasing Muscle Mass in Young Women. J Strength Cond Res. 2019 Jul;33 Suppl 1:S152-S158. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002970.
• Fliss MD, Stevenson J, Mardan-Dezfouli S, Li DCW, Mitchell CJ. Higher- and lower-load resistance exercise training induce load-specific local muscle endurance changes in young women: a randomised trial. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2022 Dec 1;47(12):1143-1159. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2022-0263. Epub 2022 Aug 26.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 5, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 12, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): August 12, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 4, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 11, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): September 14, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 29, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 27, 2021
• Last Verified: September 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Hypertrophy; Strength; Skeletal Muscle; Muscle Endurance
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathological Conditions, Anatomical; Hypertrophy
• Other Study ID Numbers: H20-01570

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No
• IPD Plan Description: A plan has not yet been made to make individual participant data available to other researchers

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No