Strength Gains May Alter Absolute and Relative Muscle Endurance in College Football Players

Abstract

Some college football teams have shifted emphasis from a one-repetition maximum (1-RM) bench press as a measure of upper body strength to a submaximal load, multi-repetition test. Key to this procedure is the choice of submaximal load which centers around an absolute (AW) or relative weight (RW) and the number of repetitions (REPS) completed with each. PURPOSE: to evaluate the effect of strength changes on absolute and relative muscular endurance after resistance training. METHODS: Fifty-eight NCAA Division II football players (age = 19.5±1.2 yrs; ht = 184.3 ± 6.9 cm; wt = 104.4 kg) were measured before and after 10 weeks on a winter conditioning program for 1-RM, REPS with a RW (60, 70, 80 and 90% 1-RM), and an AW (185 lbs for players with 1-RM <275 (LW, n = 23) and 225 lbs for players with 1-RM≥275 (HW, n = 35)). Tests were randomly performed on different days. RESULTS: Twelve players shifted from the LW group to the HW group following training. The HW group produced significantly fewer REPS than the LW group at 70% and 90% before training and at 60, 80, and 90% after training. The correlations between 1 -RM and REPS at each RW were moderate but significant at both the pre-training (r<-0.22) and post-training measurements (r<-0.32). The correlation between pre-training AW REPS and 1-RM was slightly higher for HW (r = 0.86) than for LW (r = 0.81). The correlation between AW REPS and 1-RM after training decreased slightly forHW(r = 0.81) but significantly for LW (r = 0.48). AW REPS increased significantly between pre-training and post-training for bothLW (9.2 ± 2.8 vs 12.4 ± 2.2) and HW (12.3 ± 3.6 vs 14.0 ± 3.6). The gain in 1-RM was significantly correlated with the change in AW REPS for LW (r = 0.72) and HW (r = 0.38). The gain in 1-RM was not significantly correlated with RW REPS at 60% (r =0.04), 70% (r = 0.12), or 80% (r = −0.13) but was significantly correlated at 90% (r = −0.27). CONCLUSIONS: Strength gains following heavy resistance training may alter the relationships between maximal strength and both absolute and relative muscle endurance at heavy loads. The relationship between maximal strength and moderate-load muscle endurance appears to be unaltered in college football players.