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 similar to 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 (theta) 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 degrees/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 theta 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 theta(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.