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∼3.5h. 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<0.001), L f by 5.4% (P<0.02) and θ by 3.4% (P<0.05). The increase in T m was matched by a significant gain in MIT (13.3%, P<0.001). No significant changes, except for a decrease in θ (2.1%, P<0.02), were found in the CTRL group. The gain in T m in the training group correlated significantly with an increase in the focal adhesion kinase content, pointing to a primary role of this mechano-sensitive protein in sarcomere remodeling with muscle hypertrophy. Overall, the results show that alpine skiing is an effective intervention for combating sarcopenia and weakness in old age. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.