ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Gazzetta Medica Italiana Archivio per le Scienze Mediche 2018 September;177(9):443-51

DOI: 10.23736/S0393-3660.17.03563-X

Copyright © 2017 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Acute hormonal and neuromuscular response to different resistance loading in young pre- and middle-aged postmenopausal women

Matej VAJDA ^{1, 2} ✉, Jana KOVÁROVÁ ¹, Monika OKULIAROVÁ ³, Ján CVEČKA ^{1, 2}, Peter SCHICKHOFER ¹, Ľubica BÖHMEROVÁ ¹, Marian VANDERKA ¹, Tomáš KAMPMILLER ¹, Dušan HAMAR ¹, Michal ZEMAN ³, Milan SEDLIAK ^{1, 2}

¹ Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia; ² Aging and Lifestyle Diseases Research Center, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia; ³ Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia

BACKGROUND: This study compares the acute hormonal and neuromuscular responses to different resistance protocols in young and middle-aged postmenopausal women.
METHODS: Eight premenopausal (age: 22.6±2.5) and nine postmenopausal (age: 55.2±5.7) non-trained women volunteered in a repeated crossover study. They performed two different acute loading sessions in a random order: constant resistance loading (CRL) with 75% of 1RM, and isokinetic resistance loading (IRL) with superimposed mechanical stimuli on a horizontal leg-press device. Hormone concentrations were determined pre (30 min) and post (15 min) loading protocols.
RESULTS: All strength parameters decreased after IRL in premenopausal and CRL in postmenopausal women, respectively (P≤0.05). Testosterone, estradiol and cortisol decreased (P≤0.05) after both protocols in premenopausals only. Testosterone (P≤0.05) and estradiol (P≤0.05) responses after CRL and in cortisol following IRL (P≤0.05) were larger in pre- compared with postmenopausal women.
CONCLUSIONS: Acute resistance loading induced more pronounced hormonal responses in pre- vs. postmenopausal women, regardless of the type of loading. A moderate intensity loading of 75% of 1RM induced similar neuromuscular and endocrine responses compared to supramaximal type of loading in both groups. No additional benefit of supramaximal type of loading in untrained pre- and postmenopausal women is to be expected, at least in the early phases of strength exercise intervention.

KEY WORDS: Hormones - Postmenopause - Resistance training - Neuromuscular manifestations - Muscle strength