Effect of resistance training volume on walking speed performance in postmenopausal women: A randomized controlled trial

Low muscle strength and high abdominal fatness play an important role in fast and usual walking speeds decrement in postmenopausal women (PW). Low-volume resistance training (RT) improves muscle strength. However, high-volume RT has shown to improve muscle strength and abdominal fatness in PW. Thus, high-volume RT would elicit greater improvement in fast and usual walking speeds than low-volume RT. To confirm whether the high-volume RT is better than the low-volume RT, we performed a randomized controlled trial (clinical trial registration: RBR-8SBBVP) study to investigated the effects of two different RT volumes (three sets vs. six sets) on fast and usual walking speed performances (fast: one-mile walk test and usual: four-meter walk), muscle strength (1RM test), and abdominal fatness (WC – waist circumference; WC/W waist circumference-to-weight ratio; WHtR – waist-to-height ratio; ABSI – A body shape index; BRI – body roundness index; CI – conicity index) in PW. Thirty-three PW were randomized (simple randomization) in three groups: control group (CT – no exercise), low-volume RT (LV) and high-volume RT (HV). The RT consisted of eight total body exercises at 70% of one repetition maximum for 16weeks performed three times a week. The fast walking speed (6.1% [CI 95% 2.3–9.9]), WC (−4.1% [CI 95% −6.9 to −1.4]), WHtR (−4.2% [CI 95% −7.0 to −1.4]) and BRI (−10.3% [CI 95% −17.3 to −3.4]) improved in the HV when compared to the LV and CT. The WC/W (−3.7% [CI 95% −6.5 to −0.93]), ABSI (−3.8% [CI 95% −6.5 to −1.2]) and CI (−3.9% [CI 95% −6.6 to −1.3]) improved in the HV when compared to the CT. Muscle strength improved similarly in trained groups (LV: 49.1% [CI 95% 42.5–55.6] and HV: 43.7% [CI 95% 33.0–54.5]) when compared with the CT. No differences were observed in usual walking speed. Our results suggest that high-volume RT (six sets) at 70% of 1RM is necessary to promote an improved fast walking speed performance and abdominal fatness in PW. •High and low volume resistance training improves strength in postmenopausal women.•High volume resistance training reduces central fatness in postmenopausal women.•High volume resistance training improves walk speed in postmenopausal women.