The Perceived Point of Muscular Discomfort vs the Point of Failure in the Ageing Population- a Pilot Study

This study is particularly looking for people aged between 60 and 80 years old. To take part, you need to be generally able to do resistance exercises, meaning you can move and lift things with your body, and you must be able to walk without needing help.

There are certain health conditions that would prevent you from joining. These include serious heart problems (like a heart attack or surgery in the last year), major brain conditions (such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's), or significant mental health conditions like severe anxiety or depression. We also can't include you if you have muscle diseases, uncontrolled diabetes, or are severely overweight (BMI over 39). If you've regularly done resistance exercises in the last year, have any injuries that stop you from doing exercises properly, have acute illnesses (like a serious infection or cancer), or live in a care home, you won't be able to join. Also, if you experience muscle pain because you take statins (medication for cholesterol), this study is not suitable for you.

If you decide to take part, your first step will be a health check-up at the lab. This is a bit like a mini health MOT. We'll measure your height, weight, body fat (by standing on a special scale), blood pressure, and check for any unusual heart rhythms by placing your fingers on a pad. We'll also do a quick finger-prick test to check your blood sugar levels using a tiny drop of blood.

After this, small sticky sensors will be placed on your arm and thigh muscles. These sensors, called EMG, painlessly pick up the electrical signals your muscles make when they work. You'll then do a quick strength test so we can understand your muscle's maximum effort. Next, you'll do a short warm-up including stretches. You'll then be shown videos of different levels of bodyweight squats and push-ups (easy, medium, hard) and asked to pick the level you think you can do for 8-15 repetitions. You will start with the beginner level. If you can do more than 20 reps of the beginner level, you'll move to the intermediate level, and so on. We'll then ask you to perform these exercises and tell us when you feel moderate discomfort, and we'll keep track of how many reps you can do until your muscles can no longer perform the exercise correctly because they are tired. The study is a single session and is expected to take a few hours.