Skeletal Muscle Adaptive Responses to Different Types of Short-Term Exercise Training and Detraining in Middle-Age Men

Tai chi improves balance performance in healthy older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Previous research has indicated that tai chi exercise can effectively enhance balance performance in patients; however, its impact on healthy individuals remains uncertain. Therefore, this meta-analysis aims to investigate the effects of different intensities and styles of tai chi exercise on the balance performance of healthy older adult individuals.

Methods

A targeted search method was employed to identify studies investigating the impact of tai chi exercise on balance in older adults across a range of databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Central, EBSCO, CHKI, and Embase. The studies were conducted in accordance with the PRISMA and PERSiST guidelines, and two independent reviewers were responsible for the search, screening of results, extraction of data, and assessment of study quality. A random-effects model was employed to calculate the weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results

2000 participants who met inclusion criteria were included in analyses across 28 trials. The findings indicated that tai chi can enhance the balance performance of healthy older adults, as demonstrated by the Timed Up and Go test (WMD = -1.04, 95% CI: -1.36 to-0.72, p < 0.00001, I2 = 71%), functional Reach test (FR) (WMD = 2.81, 95% CI: 1.60 to 4.02, p < 0.00001, I2 = 56%), and Berg Balance Scale (WMD = 2.55, 95% CI: 1.19 to 3.91, p = 0.0002, I2 = 88%), as well as other balance tests such as SLS (WMD = 5.03, 95% CI: 3.08 to 6.97, p < 0.00001, I2 = 85), and GS (WMD = 0.09, 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.12, p < 0.00001, I2 = 54%). Subgroup analyses showed that tai chi exercise for both ≤12 and > 12 weeks was statistically significant (< 0.01, respectively) for balance performance in healthy older adults, especially for tai chi exercise performed more than twice a week (WMD = -1.03, 95% CI: -1.35 to -0.72, p < 0.00001) and for more than 45 min each time (WMD = -1.11, 95% CI: -1.58 to-0.63, p < 0.00001) tai chi exercise had greater benefits on TUG time, FR distance and BBS in healthy older adults. In addition, compared to Sun-style tai chi, Yang-style tai chi was more effective.

Conclusion

The tai chi exercise positively affects the balance performances of healthy older adults. Engaging in short-term (≤12 weeks) exercise for more than two 45-min sessions per week has been found to produce more pronounced effects. The effectiveness of Yang-style tai chi is superior to that of Sun-style tai chi.

Systematic review registration

PROSPERO ID is CRD42024532577 https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/.

Does Taking a Break Matter-Adaptations in Muscle Strength and Size Between Continuous and Periodic Resistance Training

We aimed to compare the effects of periodic resistance training (RT) and continuous RT on muscle strength and size. Fifty-five healthy, untrained participants (age 32 ± 5 years) were randomized to periodic (PRT, n = 20 completed the study, 45% females) or continuous (CRT, n = 22 completed the study, 45% females) groups. PRT completed a 10-week RT, a 10-week detraining, and a second identical 10-week RT. CRT began with a 10-week non-RT, followed by a 20-week RT. RT included twice-weekly supervised whole-body RT sessions. Leg press (LP) and biceps curl (BC) one repetition maximum (1RM), countermovement jump (CMJ) height, muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) of vastus lateralis (VL), and biceps brachii (BB) using ultrasound imaging were measured twice at the beginning and every fifth week during the intervention. Both groups increased (p < 0.001) 1RM in LP and BC, CSA in VL and BB, and CMJ height with no differences between the groups. In PRT, 1RM in LP and BC, CSA in VL and BB, and CMJ height decreased during detraining (p < 0.05). During the first 5 weeks of retraining in PRT, increases in LP 1RM, and VL and BB CSA were greater than in CRT during Weeks 10-15 of their CRT (p < 0.01). PRT and CTR ended up in similar postintervention adaptations, as decreased muscle strength and size during detraining in PRT regained rapidly during retraining. Our results therefore suggest that trainees should not be too concerned about occasional short-term training breaks in their daily lives when it comes to lifelong strength training. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05553769.

The effects of high-intensity interval training/moderate-intensity continuous training on the inhibition of fat accumulation in rats fed a high-fat diet during training and detraining

BACKGROUND

Compared with moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has at least a comparable effect on inhibiting an increase in fat. However, few studies have been conducted to examine the effects of detraining on body fat in rats fed a high-fat diet. The present study aimed to compare the effects of 10 weeks of HIIT or MICT as well as 6 weeks of detraining on body fat in rats fed a high-fat diet.

METHODS

After being fed a high-fat diet for 8 weeks, 54 female rats were randomly assigned to six groups: (1) CON-10, sedentary control for 10 weeks; (2) MICT-10, 10 weeks of MICT; (3) HIIT-10, 10 weeks of HIIT; (4) CON-16, sedentary control for 16 weeks; (5) MICT-16, 10 weeks of MICT followed by 6 weeks of training cessation; and (6) HIIT-16, 10 weeks of HIIT followed by 6 weeks of training cessation. The training was performed 5 days/week. The subcutaneous adipose tissue (inguinal; SCAT), visceral adipose tissue (periuterine; VAT) and serum lipid profile were analysed after 10 or 16 weeks. Adipose tissue triglyceride lipase (ATGL) protein expression in VAT was assessed by western blotting.

RESULTS

HIIT-10 and MICT-10 prevented the increase in SCAT, VAT and serum lipid levels seen in the CON group. During the 6-week detraining period, HIIT continued to prevent the increase in adipose tissue mass observed in the CON group, whereas MICT at least maintained this inhibition. The inhibition of fat mass increase was mainly the result of preventing adipocyte hypertrophy. The HIIT-10 and HIIT-16 groups showed the highest ATGL protein expression.

CONCLUSIONS

HIIT has a comparable effect to MICT on inhibiting fat accumulation in female rats; however, the inhibition of SCAT and VAT increase by HIIT is superior to MICT after short-term training cessation.

High-intensity exercise training using a rotarod instrument (RotaHIIT) significantly improves exercise capacity in mice

Voluntary or forced exercise training in mice is used to assess functional capacity as well as potential disease-modifying effects of exercise over a range of cardiovascular disease phenotypes. Compared to voluntary wheel running, forced exercise training enables precise control of exercise workload and volume, and results in superior changes in cardiovascular performance. However, the use of a shock grid with treadmill-based training is associated with stress and risk of injury, and declining compliance with longer periods of training time for many mouse strains. With these limitations in mind, we designed a novel, high-intensity interval training modality (HIIT) for mice that is carried out on a rotarod. Abbreviated as RotaHIIT, this protocol establishes interval workload intensities that are not time or resource intensive, maintains excellent training compliance over time, and results in improved exercise capacity independent of sex when measured by treadmill graded exercise testing (GXT) and rotarod specific acceleration and endurance testing. This protocol may therefore be useful and easily implemented for a broad range of research investigations. As RotaHIIT training was not associated cardiac structural or functional changes, or changes in oxidative capacity in cardiac or skeletal muscle tissue, further studies will be needed to define the physiological adaptations and molecular transducers that are driving the training effect of this exercise modality.

Histological characteristics of exercise-induced skeletal muscle remodelling

This study aims to analyse the pathological features of skeletal muscle injury repair by using rats to model responses to different exercise intensities. Eighty-four rats were randomly divided into five groups for treadmill exercise. The short-term control, low-intensity, medium-intensity and high-intensity groups underwent gastrocnemius muscle sampling after 6, 8 and 12 weeks of exercise. The long-term high-intensity group underwent optical coherence tomography angiography and sampling after 18 weeks of exercise. RNA sequencing was performed on the muscle samples, followed by the corresponding histological staining. Differentially expressed genes were generally elevated at 6 weeks in the early exercise stage, followed by a decreasing trend. Meanwhile, the study demonstrated a negative correlation between time and the gene modules involved in vascular regulation. The modules associated with muscle remodelling were positively correlated with exercise intensity. Although the expression of many genes associated with common angiogenesis was downregulated at 8, 12 and 18 weeks, we found that muscle tissue microvessels were still increased, which may be closely associated with elevated sFRP2 and YAP1. During muscle injury-remodelling, angiogenesis is characterized by significant exercise time and exercise intensity dependence. We find significant differences in the spatial distribution of angiogenesis during muscle injury-remodelling, which be helpful for the future achievement of spatially targeted treatments for exercise-induced muscle injuries.

Aerobic capacity and [Formula: see text] kinetics adaptive responses to short-term high-intensity interval training and detraining in untrained females

PURPOSE

This study investigated the physical fitness and oxygen uptake kinetics (τ[Formula: see text]) along with the O2 delivery and utilization (heart rate kinetics, τHR; deoxyhemoglobin/[Formula: see text] ratio, ∆[HHb]/[Formula: see text]) adaptations of untrained female participants responding to 4 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and 2 weeks of detraining.

METHODS

Participants were randomly assigned to HIIT (n = 11, 4 × 4 protocol) or nonexercising control (n = 9) groups. Exercising group engaged 4 weeks of treadmill HIIT followed by 2 weeks of detraining while maintaining daily activity level. Ramp-incremental (RI) tests and step-transitions to moderate-intensity exercise were performed. Aerobic capacity and performance (maximal oxygen uptake, [Formula: see text]; gas-exchange threshold, GET; power output, PO), body composition (skeletal muscle mass, SMM; body fat percentage, BF%), muscle oxygenation status (∆[HHb]), [Formula: see text], and HR kinetics were assessed.

RESULTS

HIIT elicited improvements in aerobic capacity ([Formula: see text], + 0.17 ± 0.04 L/min; GET, + 0.18 ± 0.05 L/min, P < 0.01; PO-[Formula: see text], ± 23.36 ± 8.37 W; PO-GET, + 17.18 ± 3.07 W, P < 0.05), body composition (SMM, + 0.92 ± 0.17 kg; BF%, - 3.08% ± 0.58%, P < 0.001), and speed up the τ[Formula: see text] (- 8.04 ± 1.57 s, P < 0.001) significantly, extending to better ∆[HHb]/[Formula: see text] ratio (1.18 ± 0.08 to 1.05 ± 0.14). After a period of detraining, the adaptation in body composition and aerobic capacity, as well as the accelerated τ[Formula: see text] were maintained in the HIIT group, but the PO-[Formula: see text] and PO-GET declined below the post-training level (P < 0.05), whereas no changes were reported in controls (P > 0.05). Four weeks of HIIT induced widespread physiological adaptations in females, and the majority of improvements were preserved after 2 weeks of detraining except for power output corresponding to [Formula: see text] and GET.

The Effect of High-Intensity Interval Training Type on Body Fat Percentage, Fat and Fat-Free Mass: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials

This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) compared body compositional changes, including fat mass (FM), body fat percentage (BF%), and fat-free mass (FFM), between different types of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) (cycling vs. overground running vs. treadmill running) as well as to a control (i.e., no exercise) condition. Meta-analyses were carried out using a random-effects model. The I2 index was used to assess the heterogeneity of RCTs. Thirty-six RCTs lasting between 3 to 15 weeks were included in the current systematic review and meta-analysis. RCTs that examined the effect of HIIT type on FM, BF%, and FFM were sourced from online databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar up to 21 June 2022. HIIT (all modalities combined) induced a significant reduction in FM (weighted mean difference [WMD]: −1.86 kg, 95% CI: −2.55 to −1.18, p = 0.001) despite a medium between-study heterogeneity (I2 = 63.3, p = 0.001). Subgroup analyses revealed cycling and overground running reduced FM (WMD: −1.72 kg, 95% CI: −2.41 to −1.30, p = 0.001 and WMD: −4.25 kg, 95% CI: −5.90 to −2.61, p = 0.001, respectively); however, there was no change with treadmill running (WMD: −1.10 kg, 95% CI: −2.82 to 0.62, p = 0.210). There was a significant reduction in BF% with HIIT (all modalities combined) compared to control (WMD: −1.53%, 95% CI: −2.13, −0.92, p = 0.001). All forms of HIIT also decreased BF%; however, overground running induced the largest overall effect (WMD: −2.80%, 95% CI: −3.89 to −1.71, p = 0.001). All types of HIIT combined also induced an overall significant improvement in FFM (WMD: 0.51 kg, 95% CI: 0.06 to 0.95, p = 0.025); however, only cycling interventions resulted in a significant increase in FFM compared to other exercise modalities (WMD: 0.63 kg, 95% CI: 0.17 to 1.09, p = 0.007). Additional subgroup analyses suggest that training for more than 8 weeks, at least 3 sessions per week, with work intervals less than 60 s duration and separated by ≤90 s active recovery are more effective for eliciting favorable body composition changes. Results from this meta-analysis demonstrate favorable body composition outcomes following HIIT (all modalities combined) with overall reductions in BF% and FM and improved FFM observed. Overall, cycling-based HIIT may confer the greatest effects on body composition due to its ability to reduce BF% and FM while increasing FFM.

Effect of High-Intensity Interval Training vs. Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training on Fat Loss and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in the Young and Middle-Aged a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVES

This systematic review is conducted to evaluate the effect of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in the young and middle-aged.

METHODS

Seven databases were searched from their inception to 22 October 2022 for studies (randomized controlled trials only) with HIIT and MICT intervention. Meta-analysis was carried out for within-group (pre-intervention vs. post-intervention) and between-group (HIIT vs. MICT) comparisons for change in body mass (BM), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), percent fat mass (PFM), fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM), and CRF.

RESULTS

A total of 1738 studies were retrieved from the database, and 29 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Within-group analyses indicated that both HIIT and MICT can bring significant improvement in body composition and CRF, except for FFM. Between-group analyses found that compared to MICT, HIIT brings significant benefits to WC, PFM, and VO_2peak.

CONCLUSIONS

The effect of HIIT on fat loss and CRF in the young and middle-aged is similar to or better than MICT, which might be influenced by age (18-45 years), complications (obesity), duration (>6 weeks), frequency, and HIIT interval. Despite the clinical significance of the improvement being limited, HIIT appears to be more time-saving and enjoyable than MICT.

Adaptations to 4 weeks of high-intensity interval training in healthy adults with different training backgrounds

PURPOSE

This study investigated the physical fitness and oxygen uptake kinetics ([Formula: see text]) along with the exercise-onset O₂ delivery (heart rate kinetics, τHR; changes in normalized deoxyhemoglobin/[Formula: see text] ratio, Δ[HHb]/[Formula: see text]) adaptations of individuals with different physical activity (PA) backgrounds responding to 4 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and the possible effects of skeletal muscle mass (SMM) on training-induced adaptations.

METHODS

Twenty subjects (10 high-PA level, HIIT-H; 10 moderate-PA level, HIIT-M) engaged in 4 weeks of treadmill HIIT. Ramp-incremental (RI) test and step-transitions to moderate-intensity exercise were performed. Cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, muscle oxygenation status, VO₂ and HR kinetics were assessed at baseline and post-training.

RESULTS

HIIT improved fitness status for HIIT-H ([Formula: see text], + 0.26 ± 0.07 L/min; SMM, + 0.66 ± 0.70 kg; body fat, - 1.52 ± 1.93 kg; [Formula: see text], - 7.11 ± 1.05 s, p < 0.05) and HIIT-M ([Formula: see text], 0.24 ± 0.07 L/min, SMM, + 0.58 ± 0.61 kg; body fat, - 1.64 ± 1.37 kg; [Formula: see text], - 5.48 ± 1.05 s, p < 0.05) except for visceral fat area (p = 0.293) without between-group differences (p > 0.05). Oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin amplitude during the RI test increased for both groups (p < 0.05) except for total hemoglobin (p = 0.179). The Δ[HHb]/[Formula: see text] overshoot was attenuated for both groups (p < 0.05) but only eliminated in HIIT-H (1.05 ± 0.14 to 0.92 ± 0.11), and no change was observed in τHR (p = 0.144). Linear mixed-effect models presented positive effects of SMM on absolute [Formula: see text] (p < 0.001) and ΔHHb (p = 0.034).

CONCLUSION

Four weeks of HIIT promoted positive adaptations in physical fitness and [Formula: see text] kinetics, with the peripheral adaptations attributing to the observed improvements. The training effects are similar between groups suggesting that HIIT is effective for reaching higher physical fitness levels.