Investigation into the Optimal Number of Repetitions Needed to Maintain Power Output in the Flywheel Romanian Deadlift Exercise

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the desired number of repetitions required to maintain a consistent maximum power output of concentric, eccentric, and eccentric overload in a flywheel Romanian deadlift (FW RDL). Fourteen male recreational athletes (27.9 ± 6.4 years old, 90 ± 10.7 kg, 180.7 ± 5.5 cm tall) participated in the study. They had a minimum of two years resistance training experience, but none of them had any experience in flywheel inertia training (FIT). The participants performed FW RDL on an FW device (kBox 3, Exxentric, ABTM, Bromma, Sweden). Each participant attended a single test session. The testing session consisted of four sets of 14 repetitions of the RDL. Both the first and second repetitions of each set were used to ‘increase momentum’ and were excluded from data analysis. Each set incorporated different inertial loads. The order of inertial load settings was randomised for each participant. A five-minute inter-set rest period was given to allow the cessation of any fatigue effects and to enable adequate recovery. During the repetition analysis, a ≥ 20% drop in value from the preceding repetition was used as a cut-off point and recorded. The optimal number of repetitions required to maintain peak concentric and eccentric power was between 10 and 11, whereas 6 to 8 repetitions is advised to maintain eccentric overload.