NCT06099678

Enhancing Strength Gains With the Power of the Mind

The Effect of Combining Maximal Mental Effort With Elastic Band Training on Strength and Neuromuscular Adaptations in Older Females

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 45 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Kennesaw State University · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 65 Years – 79 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine the effect of maximal mental effort combined with elastic band training on strength and neuromuscular function in healthy, older females. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does elastic band training in combination with maximal mental effort increase strength more than elastic band training alone? * Does elastic band training in combination with maximal mental effort improve neuromuscular function more than elastic band training alone? Participants will be randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: * Elastic band training * Elastic band training with maximal mental effort * Control Researchers will compare groups to determine differences in changes in strength, neuromuscular function, and body composition.

Detailed description

Participants in both training groups will perform 6 weeks of moderate intensity, whole-body elastic band training. Participants in the control group will participate in all testing procedures but not perform any training. Participants from both groups will be instructed to maintain their normal physical activity levels and dietary habits. All training sessions will be home-based and virtually supervised by research personnel. Participants will complete 2 training sessions in the first week and 3 training sessions per week for the remaining 5 weeks. Each training session will last about 45-60 minutes and consist of 7 exercises performed in the same order by each participant, including both multi-joint (chair squat, chest press, leg press, back row) and single-joint (knee extension, knee flexion, elbow flexion) exercises. Participants will perform 12 repetitions for each exercise for the first 3 weeks, then volume will be increased by progressing to 4 sets for the remaining 3 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 moderate 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.

Conditions

• Healthy

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Elastic Band Training	This training intervention will be 6 weeks of moderate-intensity elastic band training, including whole-body and isolated muscle exercises.
BEHAVIORAL	Elastic Band Training with Maximal Mental Effort	This training intervention will be 6 weeks of moderate-intensity elastic band training, including whole-body and isolated muscle exercises, where participants will perform maximal mental effort by imagining maximal muscle contraction during each exercise.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-11-01
• Primary completion: 2024-11-01
• Completion: 2024-11-01
• First posted: 2023-10-25
• Last updated: 2023-12-11

Locations

2 sites across 1 country: United States