EFFECT OF 16 WEEKS OF RESISTANCE TRAINING ON STRENGTH ENDURANCE IN MEN AND WOMEN

ABSTRACT Introduction Although resistance training (RT) can provide numerous benefits for both men and women, morphological, neuromuscular, metabolic, physiological, and behavioral differences between sexes may influence the magnitude of training responses. Objective To analyze the impact of 16 weeks of progressive RT on strength endurance in untrained men and women. Methods Twenty-eight men and 31 women (18-30 years) underwent a supervised RT program that was divided into two 8-week stages, 3 times per week on nonconsecutive days. The RT program was composed of exercises for different body segments (trunk, upper and lower limbs) that were performed with three sets of 8-12 repetitions maximum (RM), in 10 and 12 exercises, in the first and second stage, respectively. Strength endurance was assessed in 3 exercises (bench press, squat, and arm curl) and in a combination of these exercises through a protocol composed of 4 sets performed to failure with 80% of 1-RM on the baseline, after 8 and 16 weeks of RT. Results Group vs. time interactions (p <0.05) were found for bench press (men = +28.3% vs. women = +32.1%), squat (men = +13.5% vs. women = +32.7%), and arm curl (men = +20.2% vs. women = +24.4%) exercises, as well as in the set of all 3 exercises (men = +18.4% vs. women = +31.2%). Conclusion Our results suggest that 16 weeks of RT can improve strength endurance in both men and women, although higher gains are achieved by women. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic study-Investigating treatment results.