Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT07687316

Mental Effort During Low Load Resistance Training 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.

Recruiting

Interested in participating?

Request Info

Key information

Conditions

Seniors Atrophy Behavior Motor Activity Muscular Atrophy Nervous System Diseases Neurologic Manifestations Neuromuscular Manifestations Old Age Pathological Conditions, Anatomical Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Sarcopenia Signs and Symptoms

Age range

65 year–85 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Kennesaw State University

Kennesaw, Georgia, 30144, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Garrett Hester

CONTACT

[email protected]

470-578-4267

About this study

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.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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

Treatment and study plan

Low Intensity Resistance Training with Maximal Mental Effort

Behavioral

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.

Low Intensity Resistance Training

Behavioral

This training intervention will be 8 weeks of low intensity resistance training, including whole-body and isolated muscle exercises.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in isokinetic strength of the knee extensors at 60 degrees per second

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8

    Dynamic strength of the knee extensors contracting at a constant velocity

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in isokinetic knee extensor muscle activation as measured by electromyography amplitude

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8

    Electromyography root mean square during isokinetic contraction divided by root mean square during isometric contraction

  2. Change in isometric knee extensor strength as measured by newton-meters of torque

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8

    Isometric strength of a muscle

  3. Change in knee extensor muscle activation as measured by electromyography amplitude

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8

    A measure of the capacity at which the muscle is activated by the nervous system

  4. Change in motor unit firing rate as measured relative to the motor unit recruitment threshold

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8

    A measure of how nervous system input produces force output during an isometric contraction

  5. Change in motor unit action potential size as measured relative to the motor unit recruitment threshold

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8

    A measure of how nervous system input produces force output during an isometric contraction

  6. Change in handgrip strength as measured in kilograms of force

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8

    Upper-body strength as measured by a handgrip dynamometer

  7. Change in walking speed as measured by time taken to walk 4 meters

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8

    Measure of lower-body physical function

  8. Change in chair rise performance as measured by number of chair rises performed in 30 seconds

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8

    Measure of lower-body physical function

  9. Change in bicep curl strength as measured by load lifted in pounds

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8

    Maximum dumbbell load lifted successfully throughout the range of motion of a bicep curl

  10. Change in dynamic strength of the lower body muscles during the leg press as measured by load lifted in pounds for 5 repetitions

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 5, Week 8

    Measure of dynamic strength during the leg press exercise

  11. Change in muscle composition as measured by ultrasound-derived grey-scale analysis

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8

    Echo-intensity value derived from grey-scale analysis is indicative of amount of non-contractile tissue in muscle

  12. Change in skeletal muscle size as measured by ultrasound-derived cross-sectional area

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8

    Size of a muscle

  13. Change in fat mass as measured by kilograms

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8

    Amount of fat tissue a person possesses estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis

  14. Change in fat-free mass as measured by kilograms

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8

    Amount of non-fat tissue a person possesses estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis

  15. Change in body fat percentage as measured by fat tissue relative to fat-free tissue

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8

    Relative amount of body fat a person possesses estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis

  16. Change in cognitive function as measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8

    Assessment of cognitive function where 0 is the lowest score and 30 is the highest score and a higher score represents higher cognitive function.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Garrett Hester Professor of Exercise Science

CONTACT

[email protected]

470-578-4267

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Kennesaw State University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

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

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jul 7, 2026
Registry last updated
Jul 8, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.