Acute Power Training Effects in Older Adults

NCT07522398 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: B1152025000035BOF25OWB22
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 42
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn how older adults respond to power training when the level of fatigue during exercise is different. Power training means performing fast movements with moderate loads to improve strength, power and mobility. The main questions the study aims to answer are:

• How does the level of fatigue during power training acutely affect strength, movement, and muscle function?
• How does it affect recovery, muscle soreness, and how hard the exercise feels? Researchers will compare three power-training sessions with different fatigue levels to see which approach may be safest and most effective for older adults. Participants will be healthy older adults aged 65 to 85 years. Each participant will complete three supervised exercise sessions on a leg press machine. The sessions will take place about one week apart. During the study, participants will:
• Perform power training on a pneumatic leg press machine
• Complete strength and mobility tests before and after exercise
• Provide small blood samples to measure body responses to exercise
• Rate how hard the exercise feels
• Report muscle soreness for up to two days after exercise The results may help researchers design safer and more effective power-training programs to improve strength, mobility, and recovery in older adults.

Conditions

Muscle Power; Functional Performance; Older Adults (65 Years and Older); Neuromuscular Function; Healthy Older Adults; Physiological Responses

Keywords

Power Training; Older Adults; Aging; Muscle Power; Velocity Loss; Resistance Training; Neuromuscular Function; Functional Performance; Physiological Responses; Exercise Fatigue

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Maximum Voluntary Contraction (MVC)

  Maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) will be assessed to determine the maximum force-generating capacity of the leg extensors using an isokinetic dynamometer (Humac Norm). Simultaneously, muscle activity will be recorded using surface electromyography (EMG; Delsys EMG system). Primary outcome metric: Peak torque (Nm) obtained from three maximal isometric trials recorded on the dynamometer, combined with EMG amplitude (µV) to quantify muscle activation. Interpretation: Higher torque values indicate greater knee extensor strength. EMG amplitude reflects the level of muscle activation during maximal voluntary effort. Interpretation: Higher force values indicate greater leg muscle strength. EMG values indicate the level of muscle activation during the maximal effort.

  Measurements will be taken before exercise (baseline), 5 minutes after each training session, and 24 hours after each session.

Secondary Outcomes (15)

• Rate of Torque Development (RTD)

  Measurements will be taken before exercise (baseline), 5 minutes after each training session, and 24 hours after each session.

• Muscle Activity

  Measurements will be taken before exercise (baseline), during exercise session (mean value across the full session), 5 minutes post exercise, and 24 hours post exercise (3 exercise sessions, 1 week apart)

• Strength Training Data: Mean Movement Velocity

  During each exercise session (mean values across the full session) (3 Sessions ; ~1 week apart)

• Strength Training Data: Power

  During each exercise session (mean value across the full session) (3 Sessions ; ~1 week apart)

• Strength Training Data: Total Number of Repetitions

  During each exercise session (mean value across the full session) (3 Sessions ; ~1 week apart)

Study Arms (3)

Low-Fatigue Power Training (10% velocity loss)

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants perform a single supervised session of power training on a pneumatic leg press, consisting of 4 sets. During the exercise, movement speed is continuously monitored. In this arm, the exercise set will be stopped when movement speed decreases by 10% compared with the fastest repetition, which corresponds to a low level of fatigue (small amount of repetitions).

Behavioral: Power Training at Different Fatigue Levels

Moderate Fatigue Power Training (30% velocity loss)

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants perform a single supervised session of power training on a pneumatic leg press, consisting of 4 sets. During the exercise, movement speed is continuously monitored. In this arm, the exercise set will be stopped when movement speed decreases by 30% compared with the fastest repetition, which corresponds to a moderate level of fatigue (more repetitions, performed closer to muscle failure).

Behavioral: Power Training at Different Fatigue Levels

Cluster-Set Power Training (10% Velocity Loss)

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants perform a single supervised session of power training on a pneumatic leg press. In this arm, the exercise is organized into 4 cluster sets. A cluster set consists of small groups of repetitions separated by short rest periods within the set. Participants will perform clusters of 3-4 repetitions with 20 seconds of rest between clusters. During the exercise, movement speed is continuously monitored. Each cluster will be performed within the range of 10% velocity loss compared with the fastest repetition, which corresponds to a low level of fatigue. Clusters will continue until the total number of repetitions matches the training volume (amount of total repetitions) reached in the 30% velocity loss condition. This design allows participants to complete a similar total training volume as in the moderate fatigue condition, while maintaining lower fatigue, enabling researchers to separate the effects of exercise volume from the effects of fatigue.

Behavioral: Power Training at Different Fatigue Levels

Interventions

Power Training at Different Fatigue Levels BEHAVIORAL

Participants perform supervised power-training exercises on a pneumatic leg press. The sessions are designed to test different levels of fatigue: 1. In one session, participants stop the exercise set when their movement speed drops by 10%. 2. In another session, they stop when their movement speed drops by 30%. 3. In a third session, participants perform the same total work as the 30% session, but stop at 10% velocity loss. Each session lasts a single training bout (4 sets), and is separated from the next session by one week. During and after each session, researchers measure immediate and post 24h responses to the training in neuromuscular function, physiological responses (e.g., blood markers, muscle oxygenation), functional performance, perceived effort, and muscle soreness. This intervention is different from other exercise studies because it focuses on how varying fatigue levels during power training affect immediate performance and recovery in healthy older adults.

Also known as: Power Training at Different Velocity Loss Thresholds, Power Training at Different Velocity-Based Training Doses

Cluster-Set Power Training (10% Velocity Loss); Low-Fatigue Power Training (10% velocity loss); Moderate Fatigue Power Training (30% velocity loss)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 65 Years - 85 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Participants must:
• Be 65 to 85 years old.
• Be able to live independently and perform everyday activities without help.
• Not have regularly done resistance or strength training in the past year.
• Be able to understand study instructions and communicate in the study language.
• Have a recent statement from their treating physician confirming that their heart and blood vessels are healthy enough to safely take part in this study.

You may not qualify if:

• Participants will not be eligible if they have any of the following:
• Unstable heart disease, neurological disease, acute infection, or fever.
• Use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, in the 5 days before the study.
• Use of whey protein, casein, or amino acid supplements in the month before the study.
• Acute or chronic injuries to the legs or lower body muscles.
• Any injury or condition that prevents safe leg extension exercises.
• Recent lower-limb joint replacement (less than 6 months ago).
• Dependence on walking aids.
• Current participation in another interventional trial.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hasselt University: lead

Study Sites (1)

REVAL - Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences

Diepenbeek, Flanders, 3590, Belgium

RECRUITING

Study Officials

• Evelien Van Roie, PhD

  Hasselt University, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Bruno Tassignon, PhD

  Hasselt University, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Max Riesbeck, Master of Science

CONTACT

+32 11 26 84 93; max.riesbeck@uhasselt.be

Evelien Van Roie, PhD

CONTACT

+3211269062; evelien.vanroie@uhasselt.be

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Prof. Dr. Evelien Van Roie

Model Details: Participants will complete three exercise sessions different by fatigue and volume levels, each separated by about one week. The order of the first two sessions will be randomized. These sessions involve two different exercise conditions with different levels of fatigue. The third session will always be performed last. This session is designed to match the total amount of exercise volume performed in one of the earlier sessions for each participant individually. Because this matching depends on the amount of exercise volume completed previously, the final session must occur after the first two sessions. This study design allows researchers to compare how different levels of fatigue affect participants' responses to exercise, while also examining the effects of exercise volume independently of fatigue.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 25, 2026
• First Posted: April 13, 2026
• Study Start: April 20, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2027
• Last Updated: April 13, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF
• Time Frame: Beginning upon publication until 5 years after the publication of results.
• Access Criteria: Only qualified researchers affiliated with recognized academic or research institutions will be eligible. Researchers must submit a formal request describing the purpose and planned analyses. The research proposal must relate to legitimate scientific questions consistent with the original study aims. The proposed statistical methods must be clearly described. Researchers submit a data access request through the study's contact point or the FAIRVault platform. Once approved, they will sign a Data Transfer Agreement (DTA) before receiving access to the data. All requests will be reviewed by the study team or designated independent reviewers to ensure the research is appropriate, the data will be handled responsibly, and privacy protections are met.

Locations

BE (1)