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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06449716

Tailored Versus Traditional Resistance Exercise

Preserving functional ability is crucial for healthy aging. Unfortunately, age-related decreases in muscle power often lead to declines in functional ability. As power is the product of force and velocity, decreases in power can originate from changes in muscle force, contraction velocity, or both, varying between individuals. The primary method to prevent functional disability is power-based resistance training. Although training interventions are effective for most older adults, they do not induce substantial improvements in a subset of the population. These inconsistent outcomes may arise from neglecting the observed differences in the force-velocity (F-v) profiles between individuals. Therefore, this study provides a novel approach to resistance exercise, in which exercise dose is tailored according to the individual's F-v profile. The effectiveness of the tailored method will be assessed in a randomized control trial, comparing the effects of an individualized and a non-individualized 12-week training intervention on muscle power parameters and functional ability.

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Key information

Conditions

Exercise Training

Age range

65 year–80 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

KU Leuven - Department of Movement Sciences

Leuven, Vlaams-Brabant, 3000, Belgium

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Community-dwelling adults
  • 65-80 years old

Exclusion criteria

  • Systematic engagement in resistance exercise during the past year
  • Unstable cardiovascular disease, neuromuscular disease, acute infection or fever
  • Recent surgery
  • Lower-extremity injuries
  • Low levels of functional ability (i.e., SPPB score ≤ 9)
  • Cognitive malfunctioning (i.e., Mini-Mental State Examination < 24)

Treatment and study plan

12-week progressive power-oriented resistance exercise program

Other

2x/week, 35-45 min sessions, on leg press machine

Primary outcomes

  1. Maximal force (F0)

    Time frame: Change from baseline in maximal force at 12 weeks

    Unilateral (dominant leg) maximal force production (N) on the pneumatic leg press device (Leg Press Air 400, Keiser, USA).

    The test protocol consists of 2 sets of 1 repetition with increasing loads (5-10 kg increments), starting at 20% of body mass. When the participants fail to lift a certain load, the load will be decreased by 2.5-5 kg until their one repetition maximum (1-RM) is reached. The duration of the recovery time between sets will be based on the mean velocity in the preceding repetition, with longer rest periods after high-load, low-velocity attempts. Mean velocity of the best trial per load is used to estimate the individual F-v relationship through a linear equation. This F-v relationship will be used to examine the exercise-induced changes in maximal force.

  2. Maximal velocity (V0)

    Time frame: Change from baseline in maximal velocity at 12 weeks

    Unilateral (dominant leg) maximal velocity production (m/s) on the pneumatic leg press device (Leg Press Air 400, Keiser, USA).

    The test protocol consists of 2 sets of 1 repetition with increasing loads (5-10 kg increments), starting at 20% of body mass. When the participants fail to lift a certain load, the load will be decreased by 2.5-5 kg until their one repetition maximum (1-RM) is reached. The duration of the recovery time between sets will be based on the mean velocity in the preceding repetition, with longer rest periods after high-load, low-velocity attempts. Mean velocity of the best trial per load is used to estimate the individual F-v relationship through a linear equation. This F-v relationship will be used to examine the exercise-induced changes in maximal velocity.

  3. Force-velocity slope

    Time frame: Change from baseline in F-v slope at 12 weeks

    Unilateral (dominant leg) force-velocity (F-v) slope on the pneumatic leg press device (Leg Press Air 400, Keiser, USA). F-v slope = force (N) as a function of velocity (m/s).

    The test protocol consists of 2 sets of 1 repetition with increasing loads (5-10 kg increments), starting at 20% of body mass. When the participants fail to lift a certain load, the load will be decreased by 2.5-5 kg until their one repetition maximum (1-RM) is reached. The duration of the recovery time between sets will be based on the mean velocity in the preceding repetition, with longer rest periods after high-load, low-velocity attempts. Mean velocity of the best trial per load is used to estimate the individual F-v relationship through a linear equation. This F-v relationship will be used to examine the exercise-induced changes in slope.

  4. Maximal power (P0)

    Time frame: Change from baseline in maximal power at 12 weeks

    Unilateral (dominant leg) maximal power production (Watt) on the pneumatic leg press device (Leg Press Air 400, Keiser, USA).

    The test protocol consists of 2 sets of 1 repetition with increasing loads (5-10 kg increments), starting at 20% of body mass. When the participants fail to lift a certain load, the load will be decreased by 2.5-5 kg until their one repetition maximum (1-RM) is reached. The duration of the recovery time between sets will be based on the mean velocity in the preceding repetition, with longer rest periods after high-load, low-velocity attempts. Mean velocity of the best trial per load is used to estimate the individual F-v relationship through a linear equation. This F-v relationship will be used to examine the exercise-induced changes in maximal power.

  5. Force at maximal power

    Time frame: Change from baseline in force at maximal power at 12 weeks

    Unilateral (dominant leg) force at maximal power production (N) on the pneumatic leg press device (Leg Press Air 400, Keiser, USA).

    The test protocol consists of 2 sets of 1 repetition with increasing loads (5-10 kg increments), starting at 20% of body mass. When the participants fail to lift a certain load, the load will be decreased by 2.5-5 kg until their one repetition maximum (1-RM) is reached. The duration of the recovery time between sets will be based on the mean velocity in the preceding repetition, with longer rest periods after high-load, low-velocity attempts. Mean velocity of the best trial per load is used to estimate the individual F-v relationship through a linear equation. This F-v relationship will be used to examine the exercise-induced changes in force at maximal power.

  6. Velocity at maximal power

    Time frame: Change from baseline in velocity at maximal power at 12 weeks

    Unilateral (dominant leg) velocity at maximal power production (m/s) on the pneumatic leg press device (Leg Press Air 400, Keiser, USA).

    The test protocol consists of 2 sets of 1 repetition with increasing loads (5-10 kg increments), starting at 20% of body mass. When the participants fail to lift a certain load, the load will be decreased by 2.5-5 kg until their one repetition maximum (1-RM) is reached. The duration of the recovery time between sets will be based on the mean velocity in the preceding repetition, with longer rest periods after high-load, low-velocity attempts. Mean velocity of the best trial per load is used to estimate the individual F-v relationship through a linear equation. This F-v relationship will be used to examine the exercise-induced changes in velocity at maximal power.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Exercise adherence

    Time frame: Total adherence over 12-week period

    Number of sessions attended as a percentage of total sessions planned

  2. Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score

    Time frame: Change from baseline in SPPB test score at 12 weeks

    Total score on the SPPB (min 0, max 12, higher scores indicate better performance)

  3. Gait speed

    Time frame: Change from baseline in gait speed at 12 weeks

    The average speed (m/s) to walk 10m as fast as possible

  4. Countermovement jump height

    Time frame: Change from baseline in countermovement jump height at 12 weeks

    The jump height (cm) in a countermovement jump

  5. Timed up and go

    Time frame: Change from baseline in timed up and go time at 12 weeks

    The time (s) needed to stand up from a chair, walk 3 m, turn, walk back and sit down again (as fast as possible)

  6. 5-repetition sit-to-stand time

    Time frame: Change from baseline in sit-to-stand performance at 12 weeks

    The time (s) needed to perform 5 sit-to-stand transitions

  7. 5-repetition sit-to-stand power

    Time frame: Change from baseline in sit-to-stand performance at 12 weeks

    The power (watt) needed to perform 5 sit-to-stand transitions

  8. Stair ascent time

    Time frame: Change from baseline in stair climbing performance at 12 weeks

    The time (s) needed to ascend a flight of stairs

  9. Stair ascent power

    Time frame: Change from baseline in stair climbing performance at 12 weeks

    The power (Watt) needed to ascend a flight of stairs

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Universitaire Ziekenhuizen KU Leuven

Other

Registry information

Official study title

A Tailored Intervention to Prevent Age-Related Declines in Muscle Power and Functional Ability

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Jun 10, 2024
Registry last updated
Dec 17, 2025

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.

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