A 10-Year Longitudinal Study of Muscle Morphology and Performance in Masters Sprinters.

Abstract

Both longitudinal and cross-sectional studies have demonstrated that muscle mass, strength and power are lost with ageing. Although longitudinal studies have shown changes in muscle morphology and function in sedentary, healthy active and endurance-trained older people, less is known about such age-related changes in sprint athletes. It has been proposed that active older people may provide a better study of healthy ageing not confounded by factors of inactivity and other unhealthy behaviours. Given that the training regimens of masters sprinters consist of strength and sprint training that elicit gains in muscle force, power and mass, sprinters may not suffer from measurable decrements in muscle strength, functional performance or morphology over a 10-year period.