Early-Phase Adaptations of Slow and Fast Resistance Training on Strength Gains

Abstract

Most of the resistance training studies, that investigated the contraction velocity (CV), used isokinetic training and reported that strength increase is specific to the training velocity. However, few studies investigated the chronic effect of different CV during isoinertial resistance training. PURPOSE: Determine the effect of two different eccentric (ECC) training CV on ECC and concentric (CON) strength gains in untrained male subjects. METHODS: Twenty four apparently healthy, untrained male participated in the study protocol. The volunteers were randomly assigned into one of two groups: 1) CON phase in 1 second and ECC phase in 4 seconds (ECC4; n=10; 24.7 yrs; 72.10 kg), or 2) CON phase in 1 second and eccentric phase in 1 second (ECC1; n=14; 25.6 yrs; 72.41 kg). Subjects trained 2 days per week for 6 weeks and each workout consisted of 2 sets of one elbow flexion exercise and 4 sets of one knee extension exercise. Unilateral knee extensors (KE) and elbow flexors (EF) CON and ECC strength were tested for both groups at 60°/s on a Biodex System 3 isokinetic dynamometer. Strength was expressed as peak torque (PT). Statistical evaluation of the data was measured using a 2 × 2 analysis of variance [group (ECC4 and ECC1) x time (pre and post)]. RESULTS: The results were as follows:TABLECONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that either a slow or fast CV training is efficient to increase the KE CON strength during the early phase of training. However, it seems that the use of a slow CV on the ECC phase may be more effective for KE gains. Likewise, slow ECC CV appears to be more effective for increase EF strength. These findings may support the ACSM (2009) recommendations that untrained individuals should use slow and moderate CV.