Weiss 1988
Weiss 1988
The purpose of this study was to determine selected functional and structural
effects of heavy-resistance training on the triceps surae muscles of men and
women. We pretested 28 men and 28 women for triceps surae muscle isotonic
strength and muscularity after five practice sessions that familiarized them with
the study equipment. Triceps surae muscle isotonic strength was determined
using a 1-repetition maximum seated heel raise. Muscularity involved the meas-
urement of relaxed lower leg circumference and net circumference and ultrason-
ically determined triceps surae muscle thickness. Twenty-eight subjects (14 men,
14 women) were selected randomly after pretesting to participate in 24 sessions
of standardized weight training primarily involving the triceps surae muscles, and
the remaining subjects (14 men, 14 women) served as nontraining controls. After
eight weeks of training, triceps surae muscle isotonic strength had increased
significantly (p < .001) for both men and women in the Treatment Group when
compared with the Control Group. No other dependent variables changed signif-
icantly. We concluded that eight weeks of heavy-resistance training involving the
triceps surae muscles elicits similar significant increases in isotonic muscle
strength in both men and women without concurrent increases in muscularity.
Key Words: Exercise, strengthening; Hypertrophy; Lower extremity, ankle and foot;
Ultrasound; Weight lifting.
Muscle strength enhancement and primarily to be due to men's initially essential to work-induced muscle hyper-
skeletal muscle hypertrophy are two of greater average body mass and lean trophy.12-14 Furthermore, no convincing
the expected outcomes of heavy-resist- body mass.1-3 Relative muscle strength experimental evidence exists of differ-
ance training. The comparative gains in increments after weight training, how- ential hypertrophic responses of men
maximal force-generating capacity ever, may be greater in women than in and women to heavy-resistance training.
(strength) for men and women tend to men.4 These differential responses to In two studies in which the effects of
vary depending on whether strength is heavy-resistance training have been at- heavy-resistance training on men and
expressed on an absolute or relative tributed to social and cultural restric- women were compared directly, the
(percentage change) basis. Absolute tions placed on women in western soci- heavier-weight men obtained greater ab-
gains in muscle strength in response to ety that result in women being much solute increases in body weight, fat-free
standardized heavy-resistance training further from their maximal strength po- weight, and selected limb circumfer-
typically are greater in men than in tential than men.3-5 ences than did the lighter-weight
women.1,2 This phenomenon appears In studies in which women achieved women, although the percentage or rel-
only small increases in muscle size after ative changes on the same variables were
L. Weiss, EdD, FACSM, is Director, Exercise
Science Laboratory, Department of Health, Physi- heavy-resistance training, their low nearly identical for both sexes.5,15
cal Education, and Recreation, Memphis State Uni- blood androgen levels were postulated Weight-training studies in which either
versity, Memphis, TN 38152 (USA). He was Direc- as the primary cause of an apparent lack men or women participated as subjects
tor, Exercise Science Laboratory, School of Health,
Physical Education, Recreation, and Nursing, of muscular hypertrophy.1,5-7 Because have been contradictory about concur-
Georgia Southern College, Statesboro, GA 30460- no difference in the force-generating ca- rent gains in skeletal muscle strength
8073, when this study was conducted.
F. Clark, PhD, is Chairman, Department of Com- pacity of equal cross sections of skeletal and hypertrophy. Several reports have
puter Science, University of Tennessee Center for muscle appears to exist in vivo between indicated that significant strength im-
the Health Sciences, Memphis, TN 38163. men and women,8-11 a lesser amount of provements may occur in the absence
D. Howard, MEd, is Instructor, School of Health,
Physical Education, Recreation, and Nursing, work-induced muscle hypertrophy by of corresponding muscle hypertro-
Georgia Southern College. women seemingly would prevent them phy,16-18 and other studies have re-
This study was supported by the Department of from gaining strength to the same extent ported the two phenomena occurring
Radiologic Services, Bulloch Memorial Hospital,
Statesboro, GA 30458. as men who undergo similar training concurrently.1,3,5,11,19-21
This article was submitted April 17, 1986; was programs. The purpose of our investigation was
with the authors for revision 27 weeks; and was
accepted May 5, 1987. Potential Conflict of Inter- Animal studies, however, have indi- to compare the effects of heavy-resist-
est: 4. cated that androgenic hormones are not ance training in men and women on
Testing
Pretests and posttests were adminis-
tered for the following dependent vari-
ables: 1) isotonic plantar flexion
strength, 2) lower leg circumference and
net circumference, and 3) ultrasonically
assessed skeletal muscle thickness. Be-
fore pretesting, all subjects participated
in five pretraining sessions to practice a
standardized weight-lifting technique.
We conducted the pretraining sessions
to familiarize all subjects thoroughly
with the strength-testing apparatus so
that valid data could be obtained.
Each pretraining session began with
six minutes of static calf stretching that
involved placing the plantar surface of
the metatarsals of one foot on the outer
edge of a 7-in* step and concurrently
dropping the heel to the maximal dor-
siflexion position for about 45 seconds.
Each leg was stretched four times, twice
with the knee extended and twice with
the knee slightly flexed. The stretching
activities were followed by four to six
sets of seated heel raises in which the
knees were placed at 90 degrees of flex-
ion, the lumbar spine was extended, and
both hands were pronated on top of
apparatus pads located on the distal as-
pect of the quadriceps femoris muscle
(Fig. 1). Trial and error was used during
pretraining to identify a level of resist-
ance that would enable the subject to
perform four to six repetitions maxi-
Fig. 1. Subject demonstrating strength testing and use of training apparatus for the triceps mum (RM). We used multiple repeti-
surae muscles. A fixed-angle goniometer was used to determine whether plantar flexion
occurred through at least 45 degrees during testing. tions during pretraining to lessen the
potential for injury because of the sub-
selected functional and structural char- Two men in the Treatment Group with- jects' lack of familiarization with the
acteristics of the triceps surae muscles. drew for personal reasons before the equipment. Repetitions were of such a
We expected the training program to study was completed. For a minimum low number, however, that we felt we
elicit significant increases in muscle of three months before the initiation of could reasonably estimate each subject's
strength and size in both men and the study, subjects were not engaged 1-RM level of resistance. Subjects who
women. actively in any type of physical training made more weight selection "errors"
involving the legs. They also reported during pretraining were required to
METHOD on a questionnaire that they were free complete more sets of heel raises than
of any musculoskeletal disease and had those who were more adept in selecting
Subjects a weight to lift that enabled them to
not used any exogenous substances that
We selected 56 volunteers, 18 to 26 might produce anabolic effects. In an achieve the 4- to 6-RM range.
years of age ( = 20.8, s = 1.8) to effort to eliminate the negative impact During a sixth session, subjects' plan-
participate in this investigation. Four- of exogenous estrogen intake on protein tar flexion strength (1 RM) was deter-
teen men and 14 women were chosen retention,7,22 women participated as mined. The heel lift was considered suc-
randomly to participate in the training subjects only if they reported on a ques-
program, and the remaining 14 men and tionnaire that they had not taken or
14 women served as sedentary controls. been given estrogen-containing prod- * 1 in = 2.54 cm.
TABLE 1
Adaptations of the Triceps Surae Muscle Group of Men and Women to Heavy-Resistance Training
Triceps Surae
Plantar Flexion Calf Calf Net
Muscle
Strength Circumference Circumference
Thickness
(kg) (cm) (cm) (cm)
s s s s
Treatment Group pretest for men 98.5 16.5 37.80 2.10 34.53 2.06 5.32 .50
Treatment Group posttest for
men 113.5 13.3 37.57 1.98 34.12 2.09 5.44 .44
Change (%) 13.2 -0.6 -1.2 2.2
Control Group pretest for men 91.9 18.6 37.91 2.58 34.28 2.90 5.33 .57
Control Group posttest for men 91.9 19.8 37.69 2.43 34.26 2.25 5.25 .60
Change (%) 0.0 -0.6 -0.1 -1.5
Treatment Group pretest for
women 81.0 23.8 35.33 3.95 29.96 4.28 4.74 .76
Treatment Group posttest for
women 93.4 22.8 35.32 3.91 29.24 4.06 4.87 .71
Change (%) 13.3 0.0 -2.4 2.7
Control Group pretest for women 74.4 8.1 35.61 3.27 29.59 1.39 4.98 .63
Control Group posttest for
women 74.4 8.1 35.39 3.60 29.77 1.94 4.90 .59
Change (%) 0.0 -0.6 0.6 -1.6
TABLE 2
Comparison of Treatment and Control Groups for Changes in Strength and Muscularity After Heavy-Resistance Triceps
Surae Muscle Training
Plantar Flexion Calf Calf Net Triceps Surae
Strength Circumference Circumference Muscle Thickness
(kg) (cm) (cm) (cm)
s s s s
Treatment Group for men
(n = 12) 15.0 13.4 -0.23 .45 -0.41 .34 0.12 .38
Control Group for men
(n = 14) 0.0 5.0 -0.22 .36 -0.03 .85 -0.08 .18
F 15.17a 0.01 2.11 3.21
Treatment Group for women
(n = 14) 12.3 10.2 -0.01 .39 -0.51 .74 0.13 .30
Control Group for women
(n = 14) 0.0 6.2 -0.22 .44 0.19 1.12 -0.01 .27
F 15.01 a 1.87 3.72 1.63
a
p < .001.
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