Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Muscle hypertrophy and fast fiber type conversions in heavy resistance-trained women

  • Published:
European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Twenty-four women completed a 20-week heavy-resistance weight training program for the lower extremity. Workouts were twice a week and consisted of warm-up exercises followed by three sets each of full squats, vertical leg presses, leg extensions, and leg curls. All exercises were performed to failure using 6–8 RM (repetition maximum). Weight training caused a significant increase in maximal isotonic strength (1 RM) for each exercise. After training, there was a decrease in body fat percentage (p<0.05), and an increase in lean body mass (p<0.05) with no overall change in thigh girth. Biopsies were obtained before and after training from the superficial portion of the vastus lateralis muscle. Sections were prepared for histological and histochemical examination. Six fiber types (1, IC, IIC, IIA, IIAB, and IIB) were distinguished following routine myofibrillar adenosine triphosphatase histochemistry. Areas were determined for fiber types 1, IIA, and IIAB + IIB. The heavy-resistance training resulted in significant hypertrophy of all three groups: I (15%), IIA (45%), and IIAB + IIB (57%). These data are similar to those in men and suggest considerable hypertrophy of all major fiber types is also possible in women if exercise intensity and duration are sufficient. In addition, the training resulted in a significant decrease in the percentage of IIB with a concomitant increase in IIA fibers, suggesting that strength training may lead to fiber conversions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andersen P, Henriksson J (1977) Training induced changes in the subgroups of human type 11 skeletal muscle fibers. Acta Physiol Scand 99:123–125

    Google Scholar 

  • Apple FS, Rogers MA, Casal DC, Lewis L, Ivy JL, Lampe JW (1987) Skeletal muscle creatine kinase MB alterations in women marathon runners. Eur J Appl Physiol 56:49–52

    Google Scholar 

  • Bailey LL, Byrnes WC, Dickinson AL, Foster VL (1987) Muscular hypertrophy in women following a concentrated resistance training program. Med Sci Sports Exerc 19: S16

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumann H, Jaggi M, Soland F, Howald H, Schaub M (1987) Exercise training induces transitions of myosin isoform subunits within histochemically typed human muscle fibres. Pflügers Arch 409:349–360

    Google Scholar 

  • Bergström J (1962) Muscle electrolytes in man. Scand J Clin Lab Invest 14 [Suppl 68]:1–110

    Google Scholar 

  • Blomstrand E, Ekblom B (1982) The needle biopsy technique for fibre type determination in human skeletal muscle — a methodological study. Acta Physiol Scand 116:437–442

    Google Scholar 

  • Brooke MH, Kaiser KK (1970) Three “myosin ATPase” systems: the nature of their pH lability and sulfhydryl dependence. J Histochem Cytochem 18:670–672

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown CH, Wilmore JH (1974) The effects of maximal resistance training on the strength and body composition of women athletes. Med Sci Sports 8:174–177

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarkson PM, Byrnes WC, McCormick KM, Turcotte LP, White JS (1986) Muscle soreness and serum creatine kinase activity following isometric, eccentric, and concentric exercise. Int J Sports Med 7:152–155

    Google Scholar 

  • Costill DL, Coyle EF, Fink WF, Lesemes GR, Witzmann FA (1979) Adaptations in skeletal muscle following strength training. J Appl Physiol 46:96–99

    Google Scholar 

  • Cureton KJ, Collins MA, Hill DW, Mcelhannon FM (1988) Muscle hypertrophy in men and women. Med Sci Sports Exerc 20:338–344

    Google Scholar 

  • Enoka RM (1988) Muscle strength and its development. New perspectives. Sports Med 6:146–168

    Google Scholar 

  • Essén B (1978) Glycogen depletion of different fibre types in human skeletal muscle during intermittent and continuous exercise. Acta Physiol Scand 103:446–455

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans WJ, Pinney SD, Young VR (1982) Suction applied to a muscle biopsy maximizes sample size. Med Sci Sports Exerc 14:101

    Google Scholar 

  • Friden J, Sjöström M, Ekblom B (1981) A morphological study of delayed muscle soreness. Experientia 37:506–507

    Google Scholar 

  • Friden J, Sjöström M, Ekblom B (1983) Myofibrillar damage following intense eccentric exercise in man. Int J Sports Med 4:170–176

    Google Scholar 

  • Friden J, Seger J, Ekblom B (1988) Sublethal muscle fibre injuries after high-tension anaerobic exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 57:360–368

    Google Scholar 

  • Green HJ (1978) Glycogen depletion patterns during continuous and intermittent ice skating. Med Sci Sports 10:183–187

    Google Scholar 

  • Green HJ, Thomson JA, Daub WD, Houston ME, Ranney DA (1979) Fiber composition, fiber size and enzyme activities in the vastus lateralis of elite athletes involved in high intensity exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 41:109–117

    Google Scholar 

  • Häggmark T, Eriksson E (1979) Hypotrophy of the soleus muscle in man after Achilles tendon rupture. Am J Sports Med 7:121–126

    Google Scholar 

  • Häggmark T, Jansson E, Eriksson E (1981) Fiber type area and metabolic potential of the thigh muscle in man after knee surgery and immobilization. Int J Sports Med 3:12–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Hickson RC, Rosenkoetter, Brown MM (1980) Strength training effects on aerobic power and short-term endurance. Med Sci Sports 12:336–339

    Google Scholar 

  • Hikida RS, Staron RS, Hagerman FC, Sherman WM, Costill DL (1983) Muscle fiber necrosis associated with human marathon runners. J Neurol Sci 59:185–203

    Google Scholar 

  • Hintz CS, Coyle EF, Kaiser KK, Chi MMY, Lowry OH (1984) Comparison of muscle fiber typing by quantitative enzyme assays and by myosin ATPase staining. J Histochem Cytochem 32:655–660

    Google Scholar 

  • Holloszy JO, Both FW (1980) Biochemical adaptations to endurance exercise in muscle. Annu Rev Physiol 38:115–119

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoppeler H (1986) Exercise-induced ultrastructural changes in skeletal muscle. Int J Sports Med 7:187–204

    Google Scholar 

  • Houston ME, Froese EA, Valeriote StP, Green HJ (1983) Muscle performance, morphology and metabolic capacity during strength training and detraining: a one leg model. Eur J Appl Physiol 51:25–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Howald H (1982) Training-induced morphological and functional changes in skeletal muscle. Int J Sports Med 3:112

    Google Scholar 

  • Howald H, Hoppeler H, Claassen H, Matthieu O, Straub R (1985) Influences of endurance training on the ultrastructural composition of the different muscle fiber types in humans. Pflügers Arch 403:369–376

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingjer F (1979) Effects of endurance training on muscle fibre ATP-ase activity, capillary supply and mitochondrial content in man. J Physiol 294:419–432

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson AS, Pollock ML, Ward A (1980) Generalized equations for predicting body density of women. Med Sci Sports 12:175–182

    Google Scholar 

  • Jansson E, Kaijser L (1977) Muscle adaptation to extreme endurance training in man. Acta Physiol Scand 100:315–324

    Google Scholar 

  • Jansson E, Sjodin B, Tesch P (1978) Changes in muscle fibre type distribution in man after physical training. Acta Physiol Scand 104:235–237

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones DA, Rutherford OM, Parker DF (1989) Physiological changes in skeletal muscle as a result of strength training. Q J Exp Physiol 74:233–256

    Google Scholar 

  • Karpati G, Engel WK (1968) “Type grouping” in skeletal muscles after experimental reinnervation. Neurology 18:447–455

    Google Scholar 

  • Larsson L, Ansved T (1985) Effects of long-term physical training and detraining on enzyme histochemical and functional skeletal muscle characteristics in man. Muscle Nerve 8:714–722

    Google Scholar 

  • Larsson L, Skogsberg C (1988) Effects of the interval between removal and freezing of muscle biopsies on muscle fibre size. J Neurol Sci 85:27–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Lüthi JM, Howald H, Claassen H, Rösler K, Vock P, Hoppeler H (1986) Structural changes in skeletal muscle tissue with heavy-resistance exercise. Int J Sports Med 7:123–127

    Google Scholar 

  • MacDougall JD, Ward GR, Sale DG, Sutton JR (1977) Biochemical adaptation of human skeletal muscle to heavy resistance training and immobilization. J Appl Physiol 43:700–703

    Google Scholar 

  • MacDougall JD, Sale DG, Moroz JR, Elder GCB, Sutton JR, Howald H (1979) Mitochondrial volume density in human skeletal muscle following heavy resistance training. Med Sci Sports 11:164–166

    Google Scholar 

  • MacDougall JD, Elder GCB, Sale DG, Moroz JR, Sutton JR (1980) Effects of strength training and immobilization on human muscle fibres. Eur J Appl Physiol 43:25–34

    Google Scholar 

  • MacDougall JD, Sale DG, Elder GCB, Sutton JR (1982) Muscle ultrastructural characteristics of elite powerlifters and bodybuilders. Eur J Appl Physiol 48:117–126

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahon M, Toman A, Willan PLT, Bagnall KM (1984) Variability of histochemical and morphometric data from needle biopsy specimens of human quadriceps femoris muscle. J Neurol Sci 63:85–100

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayhew JH, Gross P (1974) Body composition changes in young women with high resistance weight training. Res Q 45:433–440

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonagh MIN, Davies CTM (1984) Adaptive response of mammalian muscle to exercise with high loads. Eur J Appl Physiol 52:139–155

    Google Scholar 

  • Moritani T, DeVries HA (1979) Neural factors versus hypertrophy in the time course of muscle strength gain. Am J Phys Med 58:115–130

    Google Scholar 

  • Newham DJ, McPhail G, Mills KR, Edwards RHT (1983) Ultrastructural changes after concentric and eccentric contractions of human muscle. J Neurol Sci 61:109–122

    Google Scholar 

  • O'Shea JP, Wegner J (1981) Power weight training and the female athlete. Physician Sportsmed 9:109–120

    Google Scholar 

  • Paul GL, DeLany JP, Snook JT, Seifert JG, Kirby TE (1989) Serum and urinary markers of skeletal muscle tissue damage after weight lifting exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 58:786–790

    Google Scholar 

  • Pivarnik JM, Hickson JF, Wolinsky IRA (1989) Urinary 3-methylhistidine excretion increases with repeated weight training exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc 21:283–287

    Google Scholar 

  • Reichmann H, Pette D (1982) A comparative microphotometric study of succinate dehydrogenase activity levels in type I, IIa and IIb fibres of mammalian and human muscles. Histochemistry 74:27–41

    Google Scholar 

  • Sale DG, MacDougall JD, Alway SE, Sutton JR (1987) Voluntary strength and muscle characteristics in untrained men and women and male bodybuilders. J Appl Physiol 62:1786–1793

    Google Scholar 

  • Saltin B, Gollnick PD (1983) Skeletal muscle adaptability: significance for metabolism and performance. In: Peachy LD, Adrian RH, Geiger SR (eds) Handbook of physiology. Skeletal muscle. Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, pp 555–631

    Google Scholar 

  • Saltin B, Henriksson J, Nygaard E, Andersen P (1977) Fiber types and metabolic potentials of skeletal muscles in sedentary man and endurance runners. Ann NY Acad Sci 301:3–29

    Google Scholar 

  • Schantz P, Henriksson J (1983) Increases in myofibrillar ATPase intermediate human muscle fibers in response to endurance training. Muscle Nerve 6:553–556

    Google Scholar 

  • Schantz P, Billeter R, Henriksson J, Jansson E (1982) Training-induced increase in myofibrillar ATPase intermediate fibers in human skeletal muscle. Muscle Nerve 5:628–636

    Google Scholar 

  • Simoneau J-A, Lortie G, Boulay MR, Marcotte M, Thibault M-C, Bouchard C (1985) Human skeletal muscle fiber type alteration with high-intensity intermittent training. Eur J Appl Physiol 54:250–253

    Google Scholar 

  • Staron RS, Pette D (1986) Correlation between myofibrillar ATPase activity and myosin heavy chain composition in rabbit muscle fibers. Histochemistry 86:19–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Staron RS, Pette D (1987a) The multiplicity of combinations of myosin light chains and heavy chains in histochemically typed single fibres. Rabbit soleus muscle. Biochem J 243:687–693

    Google Scholar 

  • Staron RS, Pette D (1987b) The multiplicity of combinations of myosin light chains and heavy chains in histochemically typed single fibers. Rabbit tibialis anterior muscle. Biochem J 243:695–699

    Google Scholar 

  • Staron RS, Hikida RS, Hagerman FC (1983a) Reevaluation of human skeletal muscle fast-twitch subtypes: evidence for a continuum. Histochemistry 78:33–39

    Google Scholar 

  • Staron RS, Hikida RS, Hagerman FC (1983b) Myofibrillar ATPase activity in human muscle fast-twitch subtypes. Histochemistry 78:405–408

    Google Scholar 

  • Staron RS, Hikida RS, Hagerman FC, Dudley GA, Murray TF (1984) Human skeletal muscle fiber type adaptability to various workloads. J Histochem Cytochem 32:146–152

    Google Scholar 

  • Tesch PA (1987) Acute and long-term metabolic changes consequent to heavy-resistance exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc 26:67–89

    Google Scholar 

  • Tesch PA, Thorsson A, Kaiser P (1984) Muscle capillary supply and fiber type characteristics in weight and power lifters. J Appl Physiol 56:35–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Tesch PA, Colliander EB, Kaiser P (1986) Muscle metabolism during intense, heavy-resistance exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 55:362–366

    Google Scholar 

  • Tesch PA, Komi PV, Hakkinen K (1987) Enzymatic adaptations consequent to long-term strength training. Int J Sports Med 8:66–69

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomson JA, Green HJ, Houston ME (1979) Muscle glycogen depletion patterns in fast-twitch fibre subgroups of man during submaximal and supramaximal exercise. Pflügers Arch 379:105–108

    Google Scholar 

  • Thorstensson A (1977) Observations on strength training and detraining. Acta Physiol Scand 100:491–493

    Google Scholar 

  • Thorstensson A, Hulten B, Dobeln W, Karlsson J (1976) Effect of strength training on enzyme activities and fibre characteristics in human skeletal muscle. Acta Physiol Scand 96:392–398

    Google Scholar 

  • Vollestad NK, Blom PCS (1985) Effect of varying exercise intensity on glycogen depletion in human muscle fibres. Acta Physiol Scand 125:395–405

    Google Scholar 

  • Vollestad NK, Vaage O, Hermansen L (1984) Muscle glycogen depletion patterns in type I and subgroups of type 11 fibres during prolonged severe exercise in man. Acta Physiol Scand 122:433–441

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilmore JH (1974) Alterations in strength, body composition, and anthropometric measurements consequent to a tenweek weight training program. Med Sci Sports 6:133–138

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoological and Biomedical Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, 45701, Athens, OH, USA

    R. S. Staron, E. S. Malicky, M. J. Leonardi, J. E. Falkel, F. C. Hagerman & G. A. Dudley

Authors
  1. R. S. Staron
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. E. S. Malicky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. J. Leonardi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. J. E. Falkel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. F. C. Hagerman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. G. A. Dudley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Staron, R.S., Malicky, E.S., Leonardi, M.J. et al. Muscle hypertrophy and fast fiber type conversions in heavy resistance-trained women. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 60, 71–79 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00572189

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00572189

Key words

Search

Navigation