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Effects of volume of resistance training on muscular strength and endurance

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends a resistance exercise routine that consists of a minimum of 1 set of 8-12 repetitions on 8-10 exercises, 2 times per week. These guidelines are less than traditional programs and are based on the premises that longer programs are associated with lower adherence and that additional sets and repetitions produce little, if any, additional increases in strength. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if greater gains in strength and endurance could be attained by doubling the recommended dose. Sixteen subjects were randomly assigned to one of two training groups that performed 1 or 2 sets of 8-12 repetitions for 10 weeks on 7 exercises (chest press, lat pull-down, leg ext., leg curl, shoulder press, triceps ext., biceps curl) and 8 subjects were assigned to a non-training group. Pre- and post-training 1repetition maximum (RM) and muscular endurance were measured. To assess endurance, subjects completed as many repetitions as possible at 75% of their pre-training 1-RM on all exercises except the shoulder press (60% of 1-RM). Both training groups showed a significant increase in 1-RM strength and endurance compared to controls (P < 0.05). Only the biceps curl exercise showed a significant difference in strength between the two training groups (P < 0.05). The 2 sets group increased post-training endurance to a greater degree than the 1 set group, but only the lat pull-down exercise was significant (P < 0.05).. Contrary to previous studies, these findings pertain to 8-10 exercises that use larger muscle groups. It was concluded that 1 set of 8-12 repetitions was as effective as 2 sets in increasing muscular strength and endurance. / School of Physical Education

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/186258
Date January 1998
CreatorsKaleth, Anthony Scott
ContributorsWhaley, Mitchell H.
Source SetsBall State University
Detected LanguageEnglish
Formatvi, 65 leaves ; 28 cm.
SourceVirtual Press

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