Does Varying Resistance Exercises for the Same Muscle Group Promote Greater Strength Gains?. Issue 11 (27th November 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Costa, Bruna Daniella de Vasconcelos; Kassiano, Witalo; Nunes, João Pedro; Kunevaliki, Gabriel; Castro-E-Souza, Pâmela; Sugihara Junior, Paulo; Fernandes, Rodrigo R.; Cyrino, Edilson Serpeloni; Fortes, Leonardo de Sousa
• Is Part Of: Journal of strength and conditioning research. Volume 36:Issue 11(2022)
• Page Start: 3032
• Page End: 3039
• Publication Date: 2022-11-27
• Subjects: resistance training -- strength training -- exercise variation -- training progression; Physical education and training -- Periodicals; Weight training -- Physiological aspects -- Periodicals; Physical fitness -- Periodicals; 613.7
• DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000004042
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1064-8011

Abstract

Abstract: Costa, BDV, Kassiano, W, Nunes, JP, Kunevaliki, G, Castro-E-Souza, P, Sugihara-Junior, P, Fernandes, RR, Cyrino, ES, and de Fortes, LS. Does varying resistance exercises for the same muscle group promote greater strength gains? J Strength Cond Res 36(11): 3032–3039, 2022—Two of the foremost principles of progression are progressive overload and variation. A way to vary within a resistance training (RT) program is to perform different exercises for the same muscle group; however, this strategy is still overlooked. The purpose of the present study was to compare strength adaptations between an RT routine that maintained the exercises fixed (N-VAR) and another that varied the exercises for the same muscle group during the weekly sessions (VAR). Twenty-three young men (23.3 ± 4.1 years) were randomly allocated to N-VAR ( n = 11) and VAR ( n = 12) conditions. The RT was performed 3 times a week for 9 weeks and consisted of a whole-body routine (3 sets of 8–12 repetitions). Maximum dynamic strength was assessed using the 1-repetition maximum test (1RM), and the isometric strength was assessed using an isokinetic dynamometer, before and after training. Following the training period, both groups increased the 1RM values in all exercises ( p ≤ 0.002), without significant differences between them ( p ≥ 0.20). In contrast, a greater increase ( p = 0.02) in isometric knee extension strength was showed to N-VAR (+12%) compared with VAR (+7%). There was no significant increase in both groups for isometric knee flexion strength (N-VAR, p = 0.10; VAR, p = 0.18). Our findings indicate that maintaining or varying the exercises for the same muscle group promotes similar adaptations in the maximum dynamic strength. In contrast, for the isometric strength in knee extension, maintaining the fixed exercises seems to be more interesting.