Effects of Three Resistance Training Programs on Muscular Strength And Absolute and Relative Endurance

Abstract The effects of three resistance training programs on muscular strength and on absolute and relative muscular endurance were investigated. Forty-three male college students were randomly assigned to the training protocols. The high resistance-low repetition group (n = 15) performed three sets of 6–8 RM (repetition maximum) per session. The medium resistance-medium repetition subjects (n = 16) trained by doing two sets of 30–40 RM per session, while the low resistance-high repetition group (n = 12) used a single set of 100–150 RM. All subjects trained with the bench press exercise three times per week for nine weeks. Tests of strength (1-RM), absolute and relative endurance were administered before and after training. Statistical analyses revealed that the 20% improvement in maximum strength by the high resistance-low repetition group was greater than the 8 and 5% gains reported for the medium resistance-medium repetition and low resistance-high repetition groups, respectively. Relative to absolute endurance, however, the 41 percent and 39 percent improvements registered by the low resistance-high repetition and medium resistance-medium repetition groups, respectively, were not significantly greater than the 28% gain reported for the high resistance-low repetition group. Results for the relative endurance test revealed that the high resistance-low repetition group's performance actually decreased by 7% after training, and was significantly poorer than the 22% and 28% improvements made by the other two groups. It was concluded that human skeletal muscle makes both general and specific adaptations to a training stimulus, and that the balance of these adaptations is to some extent dependent upon the intensity and duration of the training protocol used.