Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34196903›Full record

Trial reportGeroScience2021

Muscle and tendon adaptations to moderate load eccentric vs. concentric resistance exercise in young and older males.

Jonathan Iain Quinlan, Martino Vladimiro Franchi, Nima Gharahdaghi, Francesca Badiali, Susan Francis, Andrew Hale, Bethan Eileen Phillips, Nathaniel Szewczyk, Paul Leonard Greenhaff, Kenneth Smith and 3 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in GeroScience, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
27citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

27 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. Trial
  5. Article
  6. Eccentric Exercise and Muscle Damage: An Introductory Guide.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Jonathan Iain QuinlanSchool of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Martino Vladimiro FranchiMRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research and NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham's Royal Derby Hospital Centre, Nottingham, UK.
Nima GharahdaghiMRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research and NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham's Royal Derby Hospital Centre, Nottingham, UK.
Francesca BadialiMRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research and NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham's Royal Derby Hospital Centre, Nottingham, UK.
Susan FrancisSir Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance Centre, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Andrew HaleSir Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance Centre, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Bethan Eileen PhillipsMRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research and NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham's Royal Derby Hospital Centre, Nottingham, UK.
Nathaniel SzewczykMRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research and NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham's Royal Derby Hospital Centre, Nottingham, UK.
Paul Leonard GreenhaffMRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research and NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham's Royal Derby Hospital Centre, Nottingham, UK.
Kenneth SmithMRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research and NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham's Royal Derby Hospital Centre, Nottingham, UK.
Constantinos MaganarisSchool of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
Phillip James AthertonMRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research and NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham's Royal Derby Hospital Centre, Nottingham, UK.
Marco Vincenzo NariciMRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research and NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham's Royal Derby Hospital Centre, Nottingham, UK. marco.narici@unipd.it.ORCID 0000-0003-0167-1845

Funding

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BB/K019104/1Department of HealthMedical Research Council MR/K00414X/1Medical Research Council MR/P021220/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Resistance exercise training (RET) is well-known to counteract negative age-related changes in both muscle and tendon tissue. Traditional RET consists of both concentric (CON) and eccentric (ECC) contractions; nevertheless, isolated ECC contractions are metabolically less demanding and, thus, may be more suitable for older populations. However, whether submaximal (60% 1RM) CON or ECC contractions differ in their effectiveness is relatively unknown. Further, whether the time course of muscle and tendon adaptations differs to the above is also unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to establish the time course of muscle and tendon adaptations to submaximal CON and ECC RET. Twenty healthy young (24.5 ± 5.1 years) and 17 older males (68.1 ± 2.4 years) were randomly allocated to either isolated CON or ECC RET which took place 3/week for 8 weeks. Tendon biomechanical properties, muscle architecture and maximal voluntary contraction were assessed every 2 weeks and quadriceps muscle volume every 4 weeks. Positive changes in tendon Young's modulus were observed after 4 weeks in all groups after which adaptations in young males plateaued but continued to increase in older males, suggesting a dampened rate of adaptation with age. However, both CON and ECC resulted in similar overall changes in tendon Young's modulus, in all groups. Muscle hypertrophy and strength increases were similar between CON and ECC in all groups. However, pennation angle increases were greater in CON, and fascicle length changes were greater in ECC. Notably, muscle and tendon adaptations appeared to occur in synergy, presumably to maintain the efficacy of the muscle-tendon unit.

Indexed as

Resistance TrainingAdaptation, PhysiologicalAgedHumansMaleMuscle StrengthQuadriceps MuscleTendonsAgeingEccentricMuscleSubmaximal RETTendon

Identifiers

PMID34196903
PMCPMC8492846

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.