UMass Amherst Seeks Older Men and Women for Exercise Study

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AMHERST, Mass. – Kinesiologist Mark Miller and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are seeking men and women 65 to 75 years old for a study on the effects of different types of weight training on muscle function, and whether there is a sex-specific neuromuscular system response to the training.

Miller says a better understanding how different exercises benefit older men and women should lead to improved individualized exercise prescriptions, and identification of new drug therapies that might help to prevent or slow age-related disability.

People interested in participating should be healthy non-smokers who do not already exercise heavily and are willing to take part in body composition and muscle function tests.

Volunteers will be expected to commit to take part in a 45-minute exercise program three days a week for 16 weeks as well as seven test visits, which total 12 hours. All exercise and test visits include free parking and will be done at the campus’s Institute for Applied Life Sciences, which contains $150 million in new facilities that aim to translate fundamental discoveries on campus into novel mechanisms that benefit human health.

Benefits of the Cultivating Healthy Aging and Muscle Performance (CHAMP) study include supervised, one-on-one exercise training and information on muscle composition and strength. Participants who complete the study will receive $500.

People between 65 and 75 years old who are interested can contact Caroline Pellegrini at 413/545-6084 or UMassCHAMP@gmail.com, or use our Facebook page @UMassCHAMPStudy.