Mixed
Ultrasound-measured muscle thickness (MT) is a valid and reliable proxy for MRI-measured anatomical cross-sectional area (ACSA) at a specific site (mid-thigh) following resistance training, but it does not accurately predict changes in total muscle volume (VOL) due to regional hypertrophy.
If you are tracking muscle growth using ultrasound, measure muscle thickness at the mid-thigh (50% of femur length). It is a reliable indicator of local muscle area growth after 12 weeks of resistance training. However, do not assume this thickness increase equals a proportional increase in your total leg volume, as muscles grow unevenly (regionally).
These data support evidence that MT is a reliable index of muscle ACSAmid and VOL at a single time point. MT changes following RT are associated with parallel changes in muscle ACSAmid but not with the changes in VOL, highlighting the impact of RT on regional hypertrophy.
Why this rating
Small sample size (N=9) but rigorous within-subject design with gold-standard MRI validation.
Source
Muscle thickness correlates to muscle cross‐sectional area in the assessment of strength training‐induced hypertrophy
Martino V. Franchi et al. · Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports · 2017
DOI 10.1111/sms.12961
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