ORIGINAL ARTICLE  EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOMECHANICS 

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2020 September;60(9):1231-9

DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.20.10907-1

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Repetitions in reserve vs. maximum effort resistance training programs in youth female athletes

Jorge AREDE ¹ ✉, Rafael VAZ ², Oliver GONZALO-SKOK ³, Carlos BALSALOBRE-FERNANDÉZ ⁴, Daniel VARELA-OLALLA ⁴, Marc MADRUGA-PARERA ⁵, Nuno LEITE ¹

¹ Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal; ² University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal; ³ Faculty of Health Sciences, University of San Jorge, Zaragoza, Spain; ⁴ Department of Physical Education, Sport and Human Movement, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain; ⁵ University School of Health and Sport (EUSES), University of Girona, Girona, Spain

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to analyze and compare the effects of two different resistance training programs.
METHODS: Fourteen under-17 youth female basketball players were randomly assigned to repetitions in reserve (RIR, N.=7) or maximum effort (RM, N.=7) resistance training programs. The programs consisted of 3-4 sets of 4 exercises x 7-10 repetitions with 2 min of passive recovery between sets and exercises, twice a week for a period of 8 weeks. The RIR group was instructed to perform the exercises with 3 repetitions remaining (rate of perceived exertion [RPE] =7). The physical assessment included jumping, agility, and sprinting tests. Moreover, the maximum strength (one maximum-repetition [1-RM]) and muscle power output at 60% 1RM were assessed for back-squat and bench-press exercises.
RESULTS: The within-group analysis showed improvements in all tests for both groups (RIR=1.3-43.9%; RM=1.3-17.2%). Between-group analyses showed a significant interaction effect (group x time) on 1-RM bench-press (F=8.07, P<0.05, η²p=0.40), favoring RIR group.
CONCLUSIONS: This study reports for the first time that the use of RIR-based RPE resistance training protocol promotes improvements in high-intensity actions (sprinting, jumping, and cutting), muscle power output, and maximum strength, particularly in youth athletes. Considering the advantages of non-failure training, RIR training may be a suitable in-season training strategy. However, more studies are needed to confirm whether the training-induced benefits of this novel training strategy are significantly better as compared to other approaches.

KEY WORDS: Homeostasis; Resistance training; Athletes