Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 22, 2026
Improving Strength, Power, Muscle Aerobic Capacity, and Glucose Tolerance through Short-term Progressive Strength Training Among Elderly People
Published on: July 5, 2017
Differences between young and older women in maximal force, force fluctuations, and surface EMG during isometric knee
Ilenia Bazzucchi1, Francesco Felici, Andrea Macaluso
1Department of Applied Physiology, Strathclyde Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 76 Southbrae Drive, Glasgow G13 1PP, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
The loss of muscle strength with aging appears to be greater in the lower than upper limbs, but strength and its neural control have never been compared in the same population of individuals in both upper and lower limbs. The aim of this study was to investigate differences between eight young (20-31 years) and eight older (68-76 years) healthy women in maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), force fluctuations, median frequency (MDF) of the surface electromyogram (sEMG), and muscle fiber conduction velocity (MFCV) during sustained isometric elbow flexion (EF) and knee extension (KE), performed at moderate to high force intensity. Older women showed larger fluctuations of force with endurance and changes in sEMG pointing to less fatigue, especially at high level of force, with no differences between upper and lower extremities. This may have significant implications in the design of rehabilitation programs directed to this population.
