The article I chose to review was “Early phase adaptations of single vs. multiple sets of strength training on upper and lower body strength gains” by Bottaro. I chose this article after finishing our unit on program design in hope that it would help me better understand volume prescription.
In the aforementioned study twenty-four young men, over the age of eighteen, were split into two groups. One group performed three set of knee extension exercises every time they lifted and one set of elbow flexion exercises. The other group performed three sets of elbow flexion exercise during each lift and one set of knee extension exercises. The lifts were performed twice a week and included: leg press, pullover, knee flexion, chest press, barbell curl, lat. pull downs, and crunches in addition to the exercises being tested for the study. Peak torque was measured at both the elbow and the knee using the Biodex System 3
isokinetic dynamometer.
This study concluded there to be a significant difference in strength when performing three sets of the knee extension exercises during each workout but found no significant difference in strength with elbow flexion under the same protocol. Several other studies had similar results; however, almost just as many studies had conflicting results. Bottaro feels that this can be explained by the use of different protocols, i.e. Number of days per week the exercises were performed, number of repetitions performed and the number of sets in the different protocols. I feel that the study should not include other exercises because they can influence elbow flexion and knee extension strength. I feel that this is an interesting topic and would like to read more on similar studies that are more refined and have with fewer variables.
Interesting info:
“To increase muscle mass and strength, the stimulus from resistance training must be sufficient to increase neuromuscular adaptation and/or muscle hypertrophy”- Kraemer
“…three sets of exercise produced twice the strength increase of one set in the early phase of resistance training of untrained subjects”- Munn
“Research has shown that a training volume greater than one set is needed for increased strength. However, these results might not be indicative of different muscle groups.” – M. Fluck