Muscle-power quality: does sex or race affect movement velocity in older adults?
To determine sex and race differences in muscle power per unit of muscle contraction, knee-extensor muscle power normalized for knee-extensor muscle volume was measured in 79 middle-aged and older adults (30 men and 49 women, age range 50-85 years). Results revealed that women displayed a 38% faster peak movement velocity than men and African Americans had a 14% lower peak movement velocity than Whites of a similar age when expressed per unit of involved muscle (p < .001). As expected, men exhibited greater knee-extensor strength and peak power per unit of muscle than women, but women had a faster knee- extension movement velocity per unit of muscle than men at the same relative strength level. Moreover, African Americans had greater knee-extensor muscle volume than Whites but exhibited lower knee-extensor strength and lower movement velocity per unit of muscle when tested at the same relative strength levels.
Doldo
Neil A
NA
Dept. of Kinesiology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
Delmonico
Matthew J
MJ
Bailey
Jason A
JA
Hand
Brian D
BD
Kostek
Matthew C
MC
Rabon-Stith
Karma M
KM
Menon
Kalapurakkal S
KS
Conway
Joan M
JM
Carignan
Craig R
CR
Hurley
Ben F
BF
D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001823:Body Composition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007717:Knee / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D053580:Muscle Strength; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D044465:White People