Mental Effort During Low Load Resistance Training in Older Adults

The Effect of Maximal Mental Effort During Resistance Training on Physical Function and Motor Unit Behavior in Older Adults

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine the effect of maximal mental effort combined with low-intensity resistance training on strength and neuromuscular function in older adults. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Does low-intensity resistance training in combination with maximal mental effort increase strength more than low intensity resistance training alone?
• Does low-intensity resistance training in combination with maximal mental effort improve neuromuscular function more than low intensity resistance training alone?

Participants will be randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups:

• Low intensity resistance training
• Low intensity resistance training with maximal mental effort
• Control Researchers will compare groups to determine differences in changes in strength, neuromuscular function, and body composition.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Sarcopenia; Old Age; Seniors
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Low Intensity Resistance Training; Behavioral: Low Intensity Resistance Training with Maximal Mental Effort

Detailed Description

Participants in both training groups will perform 8 weeks of low intensity, whole-body resistance training. Participants in the control group will participate in all testing procedures but not perform any training. Participants from all groups will be instructed to otherwise maintain their normal physical activity levels and dietary habits.

All training sessions will be supervised by research personnel at a Kennesaw State University fitness center. Participants will complete 2 training sessions per week for 8 weeks. Each training session will last about 45-60 minutes and consist of 5 exercises, including both multi-joint (leg press, chest press, back row) and single-joint (knee extension, bicep curl) exercises. Participants will perform 2 sets of 15 repetitions for each exercise for the first 2 weeks, then volume will be increased by progressing to 3 sets for the remaining 6 weeks. There will be a 60-second rest interval between sets and a similar tempo will be used between groups.

Both training groups will perform the same training protocol, but participants in the maximal mental effort group will mentally urge their muscles to contract maximally during each repetition. That is, despite using a low intensity, participants will imagine the feeling of maximal muscle contraction of the primary muscles during each repetition.

Several measures of strength, neuromuscular function, physical function, and body composition will be measured before and after the training or control period.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 75
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Garrett Hester Professor of Exercise Science; Phone Number: 470-578-4267; Email: ghester4@kennesaw.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Georgia
    • Kennesaw, Georgia, United States, 30144
      • Recruiting
      • Kennesaw State University
      • Contact: Garrett Hester; Phone Number: 470-578-4267; Email: ghester4@kennesaw.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Body mass index between 18.5 - 33 kg·m2
• No structured physical activity in past 2 years
• Any unstable condition contradicting exercise
• Independently walk with or without assistive device
• No significant cognitive impairment

Exclusion Criteria:

• Score of 22 or lower on Montreal Cognitive Assessment
• Missing more than 3 training sessions (training groups only)
• Pacemaker
• Unstable angina
• Symptomatic heart failure
• Uncontrolled arrythmias
• Uncontrolled hypertension (greater or equal to 160/90)
• Myocardial infarction in the past 6 months
• Uncontrolled type 2 diabetes
• Type 1 diabetes
• Severe or unstable pulmonary conditions,
• Currently on supplemental oxygen therapy
• Severe hearing loss or visual impairment
• Alzheimer's Disease or significant cognitive impairment
• Stroke in the past 6 months or ongoing stroke-induced motor impairment
• Any neurological (e.g., Parkinson's) condition affecting motor control
• Undergoing chemotherapy
• Surgery in past 6 months
• Musculoskeletal injury in the past 6 months
• Terminal illness
• Stage 3 or greater chronic kidney disease

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control; This group will not perform any training and maintain their regular level of physical activity.
Experimental: Low Intensity Resistance Training; This group will perform low intensity, whole-body resistance training.	Behavioral: Low Intensity Resistance Training; This training intervention will be 8 weeks of low intensity resistance training, including whole-body and isolated muscle exercises.
Experimental: Low Intensity Resistance Training with Maximal Mental Effort; This group will perform low intensity, whole-body resistance training with maximal mental effort during muscle contraction.	Behavioral: Low Intensity Resistance Training with Maximal Mental Effort; This training intervention will be 8 weeks of low intensity resistance training, including whole-body and isolated muscle exercises, where participants will perform maximal mental effort by imagining maximal muscle contraction during each exercise.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in isokinetic strength of the knee extensors at 60 degrees per second	Dynamic strength of the knee extensors contracting at a constant velocity	Baseline, Week 8

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in isokinetic knee extensor muscle activation as measured by electromyography amplitude	Electromyography root mean square during isokinetic contraction divided by root mean square during isometric contraction	Baseline, Week 8
Change in isometric knee extensor strength as measured by newton-meters of torque	Isometric strength of a muscle	Baseline, Week 8
Change in knee extensor muscle activation as measured by electromyography amplitude	A measure of the capacity at which the muscle is activated by the nervous system	Baseline, Week 8
Change in motor unit firing rate as measured relative to the motor unit recruitment threshold	A measure of how nervous system input produces force output during an isometric contraction	Baseline, Week 8
Change in motor unit action potential size as measured relative to the motor unit recruitment threshold	A measure of how nervous system input produces force output during an isometric contraction	Baseline, Week 8
Change in handgrip strength as measured in kilograms of force	Upper-body strength as measured by a handgrip dynamometer	Baseline, Week 8
Change in walking speed as measured by time taken to walk 4 meters	Measure of lower-body physical function	Baseline, Week 8
Change in chair rise performance as measured by number of chair rises performed in 30 seconds	Measure of lower-body physical function	Baseline, Week 8
Change in bicep curl strength as measured by load lifted in pounds	Maximum dumbbell load lifted successfully throughout the range of motion of a bicep curl	Baseline, Week 8
Change in dynamic strength of the lower body muscles during the leg press as measured by load lifted in pounds for 5 repetitions	Measure of dynamic strength during the leg press exercise	Baseline, Week 5, Week 8
Change in muscle composition as measured by ultrasound-derived grey-scale analysis	Echo-intensity value derived from grey-scale analysis is indicative of amount of non-contractile tissue in muscle	Baseline, Week 8
Change in skeletal muscle size as measured by ultrasound-derived cross-sectional area	Size of a muscle	Baseline, Week 8
Change in fat mass as measured by kilograms	Amount of fat tissue a person possesses estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis	Baseline, Week 8
Change in fat-free mass as measured by kilograms	Amount of non-fat tissue a person possesses estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis	Baseline, Week 8
Change in body fat percentage as measured by fat tissue relative to fat-free tissue	Relative amount of body fat a person possesses estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis	Baseline, Week 8
Change in cognitive function as measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment	Assessment of cognitive function where 0 is the lowest score and 30 is the highest score and a higher score represents higher cognitive function.	Baseline, Week 8

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Kennesaw State University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 6, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 30, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 30, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): July 7, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 8, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 6, 2026
• Last Verified: July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: exercise; muscle; aging; mobility; balance
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Neuromuscular Manifestations; Pathological Conditions, Anatomical; Muscular Atrophy; Atrophy; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior; Signs and Symptoms; Sarcopenia; Motor Activity
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2026-Hester

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

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