Effect of concurrent training on muscle hypertrophy and strength of postmenopausal women

Abstract

The combination of strength (TF) and aerobic training (TA), known as concurrent training (TC), seems to diminish the muscle strength and hypertrophy gains when compared with isolated TF. This study aimed to compare the effects of 16 weeks of concurrent training (TC) and resistance training (TF) on hypertrophic indicators and muscle strength of middle-aged postmenopausal women. Participated 24 non-active women randomly assigned in three groups: TC (n=8), TP (n=8) and control group (GC, n=8). Both training protocols were divided in two phases lasting eight weeks with a three weeks sessions frequency (TF: 10 exercises, 3x8-10 RM; TC: 6 exercises, 3x8-10 RM followed by 30 min of walking or running at 55-85% VO2peak). It were assessed thigh muscle area (AMC), muscle strength and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2peak). Our data showed that both training protocols (i.e., TF and TC) significantly increased maximal strength in leg press, bench press and arm curl without differences between groups. Regarding the hypertrophic indicators there was no difference in AMC for both training groups. VO2peak significantly increased only for TC. Thus, our data showed that when TC is held closely to the minimum of American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommendation for aerobic training, no interference effect is observed in muscle strength and hypertrophic indicators in middle-aged postmenopausal women.