Current Results Of Strength Training Research

There was a time when scholars and coaches advised athletes to avoid strength training because it was believed that it would make them slow and muscle-bound and would thereby have a negative impact on their athletic performance. Another concern was that strength training would have a detrimental effect on joints and ligaments. Athletes faced the dilemma of needing strength to perform at a certain level without the increase in muscle weight caused by strength training. Science seemed to prove that gaining muscle weight makes athletes slower since force, (body) mass and acceleration interact with each other (f= m × a). Based on this formula a (acceleration) decreases, when m (body mass) is increased. Many athletes already knew from personal experience that in fact this was not inevitably the case. If the increase in body weight is mainly caused by hypertrophy of fast-twitch muscle fibre, athletes can indeed move faster even when there is a slight increase in body weight. Since muscle hypertrophy often goes along with a reduction of body fat, body weight changes may be negligible. In the meantime, the beneficial effects of strength training for many aspects of fitness and performance have been proven. It has become generally accepted that resistance training not only improves performance of competitive athletes in many sports but also offers multiple health benefits. Strength training is a topic that is being researched and studied from many different perspectives as shown in the diverse contributions to this book. These aspects include: Strength testing in basketball, eccentrics and HIT, applying social cognitive theories of behaviour to explain resistance exercise participation, muscle conditioning for soccer players, protein supplementation strategies, repetition speed and TUT in single- vs. multiple-set training, insights gained from kinematic and kinetic analyses of movement which make it obvious that children are not miniature adults, outcome-effects of high intensity pre- vs. post-exhaustion in hypertrophy training, and the effects of high intensity interval training on insulin action.

Developed by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and now in its fourth edition, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning is the essential text for strength and conditioning professionals and students. This comprehensive resource, created by 30 expert contributors in the field, explains the key theories, concepts, and scientific principles of strength training and conditioning as well as their direct application to athletic competition and performance. The scope and content of Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, Fourth Edition With HKPropel Access, have been updated to convey the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of a strength and conditioning professional and to address the latest information found on the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exam. The evidence-based approach and unbeatable accuracy of the text make it the primary resource to rely on for CSCS exam preparation. The text is organized to lead readers from theory to program design and practical strategies for administration and management of strength and conditioning facilities. The fourth edition contains the most current research and applications and several new features: Online videos featuring 21 resistance training exercises demonstrate proper exercise form for classroom and practical use. Updated research—specifically in the areas of high-intensity interval training, overtraining, agility and change of direction, nutrition for health and performance, and periodization—helps readers better understand these popular trends in the industry. A new chapter with instructions and photos presents techniques for exercises using alternative modes and nontraditional implements. Ten additional tests, including those for maximum strength, power, and aerobic capacity, along with new flexibility exercises, resistance training exercises, plyometric exercises, and speed and agility drills help professionals design programs that reflect current guidelines. Key points, chapter objectives, and learning aids including key terms and self-study questions provide a structure to help students and professionals conceptualize the information and reinforce fundamental facts. Application sidebars provide practical application of scientific concepts that can be used by strength and conditioning specialists in real-world settings, making the information immediately relatable and usable. Online learning tools delivered through HKPropel provide students with 11 downloadable lab activities for practice and retention of information. Further, both students and professionals will benefit from the online videos of 21 foundational exercises that provide visual instruction and reinforce proper technique. Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, Fourth Edition, provides the most comprehensive information on organization and administration of facilities, testing and evaluation, exercise techniques, training adaptations, program design, and structure and function of body systems. Its scope, precision, and dependability make it the essential preparation text for the CSCS exam as well as a definitive reference for strength and conditioning professionals to consult in their everyday practice. Note: A code for accessing HKPropel is not included with this ebook but may be purchased separately.

Now in its third edition, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioningis the most comprehensive reference available for strength and conditioning professionals. In this text, 30 expert contributors explore the scientific principles, concepts, and theories of strength training and conditioning as well as their applications to athletic performance. Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioningis the most-preferred preparation text for the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exam. The research-based approach, extensive exercise technique section, and unbeatable accuracy of Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioningmake it the text readers have come to rely on for CSCS exam preparation. The third edition presents the most current strength training and conditioning research and applications in a logical format designed for increased retention of key concepts. The text is organized into five sections. The first three sections provide a theoretical framework for application in section 4, the program design portion of the book. The final section offers practical strategies for administration and management of strength and conditioning facilities. -Section 1 (chapters 1 through 10) presents key topics and current research in exercise physiology, biochemistry, anatomy, biomechanics, endocrinology, sport nutrition, and sport psychology and discusses applications for the design of safe and effective strength and conditioning programs. -Section 2 (chapters 11 and 12) discusses testing and evaluation, including the principles of test selection and administration as well as the scoring and interpretation of results. -Section 3 (chapters 13 and 14) provides techniques for warm-up, stretching, and resistance training exercises. For each exercise, accompanying photos and instructions guide readers in the correct execution and teaching of stretching and resistance training exercises. This section also includes a set of eight new dynamic stretching exercises. -Section 4 examines the design of strength training and conditioning programs. The information is divided into three parts: anaerobic exercise prescription (chapters 15 through 17), aerobic endurance exercise prescription (chapter 18), and periodization and rehabilitation (chapters 19 and 20). Step-by-step guidelines for designing resistance, plyometric, speed, agility, and aerobic endurance training programs are shared. Section 4 also includes detailed descriptions of how principles of program design and periodization can be applied to athletes of various sports and experience levels. Within the text, special sidebars illustrate how program design variables can be applied to help athletes attain specific training goals. -Section 5 (chapters 21 and 22) addresses organization and administration concerns of the strength training and conditioning facility manager, including facility design, scheduling, policies and procedures, maintenance, and risk management. Chapter objectives, key points, key terms, and self-study questions provide a structure to help readers organize and conceptualize the information. Unique application sidebars demonstrate how scientific facts can be translated into principles that assist athletes in their strength training and conditioning goals. Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioningalso offers new lecture preparation materials. A product specific Web site includes new student lab activities that instructors can assign to students. Students can visit this Web site to print the forms and charts for completing lab activities, or they can complete the activities electronically and email their results to the instructor. The instructor guide provides a course description and schedule, chapter objectives and outlines, chapter-specific Web sites and additional resources, definitions of primary key terms, application questions with recommended answers, and links to the lab activities. The presentation package and image bank, delivered in Microsoft PowerPoint, offers instructors a presentation package containing over 1,000 slides to help augment lectures and class discussions. In addition to outlines and key points, the resource also contains over 450 figures, tables, and photos from the textbook, which can be used as an image bank by instructors who need to customize their own presentations. Easy-to-follow instructions help guide instructors on how to reuse the images within their own PowerPoint templates. These tools can be downloaded online and are free to instructors who adopt the text for use in their courses. Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, Third Edition,provides the latest and most comprehensive information on the structure and function of body systems, training adaptations, testing and evaluation, exercise techniques, program design, and organization and administration of facilities. Its accuracy and reliability make it not only the leading preparation resource for the CSCS exam but also the definitive reference that strength and conditioning professionals and sports medicine specialists depend on to fine-tune their practice.

This book provides an extensive guide for exercise and health professionals, students, scientists, sport coaches, athletes of various sports and those with a general interest in concurrent aerobic and strength training. Following a brief historical overview of the past decades of research on concurrent training, in section 1 the epigenetic as well as physiological and neuromuscular differences of aerobic and strength training are discussed. Thereafter, section 2 aims at providing an up-to-date analysis of existing explanations for the interference phenomenon, while in section 3 the training-methodological difficulties of combined aerobic and strength training are elucidated. In section 4 and 5, the theoretical considerations reviewed in previous sections will then be practically applied to specific populations, ranging from children and elderly to athletes of various sports. Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Training: Scientific Basics and Practical Applications is a novel book on one of the “hot topics” of exercise training. The Editors' highest priority is to make this book an easily understandable and at the same time scientifically supported guide for the daily practice.

How many sets per exercise are necessary to gain muscle mass and strength? In this study subjects trained all major muscle groups twice a week performing nine exercises. One group applied high-intensity training (HIT) and did only one drop-set of each exercise to the point of momentary muscular failure, whereas the other group performed as many repetitions as possible in each set and did three sets of each exercise. Both groups trained twice a week for ten weeks, while the control group did not strength train at all. For both training groups body composition was analysed in weeks 0 and 11, so that changes in muscle mass and fat mass could be identified. At the same time each subject performed strength tests with 50 percent of their respective 10RM for each of the nine exercises. This publication shows the average changes of body composition and strength for each exercise in both training groups as well as a body composition analysis of each of the 43 subjects.