Skeletal muscle remodeling in response to alpine skiing training in older individuals

This study investigated whether regular alpine skiing could reverse sarcopenia and muscle weakness in older individuals. Twenty-two older men and women (67 ± 2 years) underwent 12 weeks of recreational skiing, two to three times a week, each session lasting ∼ 3.5 h. An age-matched, inactive group (n=20, 67 ± 4 years) served as a control (CTRL). Before and after the training period, knee extensors muscle thickness (T(m) ), pennation angle (θ) and fascicle length (L(f) ) of the vastus lateralis muscle were measured by ultrasound. Maximum isokinetic knee extensor torque (MIT) at an angular velocity of 60°/s was measured by dynamometry. After the training, T(m) increased by 7.1% (P