Adaptations in muscular activation of the knee extensor muscles with strength training in young and older adults

The purpose of this study was to compare the extent of muscular activation during maximal voluntary knee extension contractions in old and young individuals and to examine the effects of resistance training on muscular activation in each group. The interpolated twitch technique was used to estimate muscular activation during two pre-training baseline tests, and after two and six weeks of resistance training. Throughout the study, the older group was 30% less strong than the young group (p=0.02). The training protocol was effective in both groups with overall isometric strength gains of 30 and 36% in the older (p=0.01) and young (p<0.01) groups, respectively. 10-RM training loads increased by 66% in the old group (p<0.01) and by 77% in the young group (p<0.01) throughout training. At the first baseline test, a 2% difference in muscular activation between groups (p=0.3) did not explain the large disparity in strength. Muscular activation increased by 2% in both groups throughout training (p<0.01). Despite considerably less muscular strength in the older group, muscular activation was greater than 95% of maximum and appears to be equal in both young and older individuals. Both groups demonstrated similar but small increases in muscular activation throughout training.