Premium
Muscle adaptations following 21 consecutive days of strength test familiarization compared with traditional training
Author(s) -
Dankel Scott J.,
Counts Brittany R.,
Barnett Brian E.,
Buckner Samuel L.,
Abe Takashi,
Loenneke Jeremy P.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/mus.25488
Subject(s) - isometric exercise , medicine , resistance training , elbow flexion , muscle strength , physical therapy , strength training , leg press , physical medicine and rehabilitation , confidence interval , elbow , surgery
Large increases in 1‐repetition maximum (1RM) strength have been demonstrated from repeated testing, but it is unknown whether these increases can be augmented by resistance training. Methods Five trained individuals performed a 1RM test and maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVC) for unilateral elbow flexion exercise on 1 arm (testing arm), while the other arm performed a 1RM test and MVC, in addition to 3 sets of exercise (70% 1RM) (training arm), for 21 straight days. Results Although only the training arm had increased muscle thickness [mean 0.28 cm, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.22–0.33 cm], 1RM strength increased similarly in the training (2.2 kg, 95% CI 0.9–3.4 kg; P = 0.008) and testing (1.9 kg, 95% CI 0.5–3.2 kg; P = 0.019) arms. Conclusion Increases in 1RM strength from resistance training are related to the specificity of exercise and are likely driven by mechanisms other than muscle growth. Muscle Nerve 56 : 307–314, 2017