Study leader Dr. Alexandra Sanger investigated two particular methods of physical training. Hypertrophy resistance training is a traditional approach designed to induce muscle growth, while "SuperSlow" is a more recently devised system which involves much slower movement and fewer repetitions of exercises and was originally introduced especially for beginners and for rehabilitation.

"Our results indicate that both methods increase muscle mass at the expense of connective and fatty tissue, but contrary to expectations, the SuperSlow method appears to have the greatest effect," Sanger said in a statement. "These findings will be used to design specific exercise programs for everyday use to reduce the risk of injury and thus significantly contribute to a better quality of life in old age."

The study focused on groups of menopausal women 45 to 55 years old, the age group in which muscle deterioration starts to become apparent. Groups undertook supervised regimes over 12 weeks, based on each of the training methods.

The findings are being presented at the Society for Experimental Biology's annual meeting in Marseilles, France.