Fig. 3

Effect of high-intensity (HI) and low-intensity (LI) resistance training (RT) on cartilage-related biomarkers huARGS, C2M and PROC2. Serum samples were collected before RT start (PRE-XT), after 3-month supervised RT (POST-XT), and after 6-month home training (FU). The biomarker data was log-transformed, and using a linear mixed model, a model was fitted. PRE-XT values are used as covariates; hence, the mean of PRE-XT biomarker values across the two groups is plotted here. Log-transformed data are presented on a linear y-axis as mean and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Group mean differences were assessed with linear mixed models with Tukey adjustment and the significance levels are presented with asterisks: *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 which p value: versus baseline, or high versus low intensity