Plantar flexor activation capacity and H reflex in older adults: adaptations to strength training

1 Groupe Analyse du Mouvement, Unité de Formation et de Recherche en Sciences et Techniques des Activités Physiques et Sportives, Université de Bourgogne, 21078 Dijon Cedex, France; 2 Centre for Biophysical and Clinical Research into Human Movement, Manchester Metropolitan University, Alsager ST7 2HL, United Kingdom; 3 Centro Studi Attività Motorie, Fondazione S. Maugeri, 27100 Pavia, Italy; and 4 Division Metabolic Diseases, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Instituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, 28900 Piancavallo, Italy The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the voluntary neural drive and the excitability of the reflex arc could be modulated by training, even in old age. To this aim, the effects of a 16-wk strengthening program on plantar flexor voluntary activation (VA) and on the maximum Hoffman reflex (H max )-to-maximum M wave (M max ) ratio were investigated in 14 elderly men (65-80 yr). After training, isometric maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) increased by 18% ( P