Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of different set configurations on strength and muscular performance adaptations after an 8-week resistance training program. Twenty-four male powerlifters participated in this study and were randomly assigned to one of two resistance training groups: (1) cluster sets (CS: n = 8), (2), traditional sets (TS: n = 8), and a control group (CG: n = 8). All powerlifters were evaluated for thigh and arm circumference, upper and lower body impulsive activities, and 1 repetition maximum (1RM) in the back squat, bench press, and deadlift prior to and after the 8-week training intervention. After training, both the CS and TS groups increased arm and thigh circumferences and decreased body fat. The CS group resulted in greater increases in upper and lower body impulsive activities than the TS group, respectively. In addition, the CS and TS groups indicated similar changes in 1RM bench press, back squat, and deadlift following the 8 weeks training intervention. These results suggest that cluster sets induce adaptive changes that favor impulsive activities in powerlifters.
Highlights
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of different set configurations on strength and muscular performance adaptations after an 8-week resistance training program
The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of cluster sets and traditional sets during an 8-week offseason powerlifting program on measures of muscular adaptations
Our study suggests that both training interventions were effective to improve muscle size, impulsive activities, and muscular strength; the cluster sets (CS) group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in both impulsive activities tests (i.e., medicine ball throw (MBT) and LBPP) than traditional sets (TS) group
Summary
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of different set configurations on strength and muscular performance adaptations after an 8-week resistance training program. Considering the importance of strength for powerlifters during daily training and competition, designing RT programs for powerlifters requires an optimal combination of several variables including exercise selection, exercise order, training frequency, training load, number of repetitions, and rest interval between sets to produce greater increases in maximal strength for the three competition lifts (i.e., bench press, back squat and deadlift)[2] Regarding the latter acute program variable, some studies have focused on the effects of altering the set structure on performance adaptations by adjusting rest intervals between sets, within sets, or b oth[3,4,5,6]. Based upon these confounding findings regarding acute neuromuscular fatigue and strength adaptations, combined with the limited longitudinal research examining cluster sets in athletes, further research should be conducted to investigate the effect of set structure on strength adaptations to expand the knowledge available in this area
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