Re:Definition of Intensity? and 1 set training.

[Guest guest]

Greetings iron scientists.

High intensity definition(s) and examples.

It is with great interest and wonderment that the following experiment was/is

not given much interest or indeed follow-up.

The Research quarterly, vol. 38, No. 4 pgs 715-716, 1966?

Effect of maximum loads for each of ten repetitions on strength development.

RA Berger & B Hartage.

The design included comparing 2 groups of college age males, with no previous

weight training experience, randomly assigned to 1 of 2 “experimental

treatments.â€

The exercise was bench presses performed on a Universal machine.

Group 1(N-24) performed 10 reps with their 10 RM for 1 set.

Group 2 (N-26) performed 10 reps. Each rep was a calculated max for that rep.

What this equates to in common parlance is 10 drop sets of 1 rep each with a

max weight/effort each rep. Each group warmed up with a 10 rep, 1/2 of 1RM

weight and then performed 1 training set X’s 3 per week, X’s 8 weeks. The

time

interval was ~1-2 secs. between reps for each group.

The subjects were tested for 1 RM after 2 sessions in 1 week to learn the

lift.

Subjects were tested for 1 RM before and after the 8 week training period.

Actual and adjusted group means, standard errors, t ratios and

analysis of covariance were used to determine results. Both groupies gained

strength significantly beyond the .01 level, with the drop set group gaining

significantly beyond the .05 level more strength then the fixed weight group.

If I interpreted the results correctly the fixed weight group gained ~ 22

lbs. while the drop set group gained ~ 30 lbs. That’s about a 48% greater

improvement in strength.

Interestingly the fixed weight group lifted more total weight ~ 3100 lbs

total work per set vs. ~ 2990 lbs for the drop set group as measured by mean

ft.lbs.

I assume this means the total time under tension was ~ the same as was the

total averaged tension? Also the drop set group fatigued their muscles to about

45-50% of momentary capacity – that is assuming they started with 95-100% of

momentary resistance their end point would be about 50-55 lbs. as their average

work was essentially the same as the 10RM group.

It has long been my assumption that a muscle fiber fatigued at a higher

momentary tension per rep to a greater degree of momentary fatigue is more

productive (strength and hypertrophy) than fatiguing a muscle at a lower

momentary

tension to a lesser momentary degree of fatigue.

While all sorts of questions can justifiably be directed to this study in

terms of degree of experience, carryover to related activities and much etc.,

the

point remains -- how effective is decreasing resistance training as compared

to fixed resistance when adjusted to specific outcomes, e.g., – strength,

hypertrophy and power?

With recent studies indicating that training past failure is non or even

counterproductive how productive are repeated “max efforts with very little

restâ€

Obviously if the efforts are “training†maxs as contrasted with

“competitiveâ€

maxs and or a multi rep set is terminated before training failure, then

repeated with a lighter weight, etc., the demons associated with excessive

neural

failure fatigue maybe negated.

In summation!! I am left wondering why the “training with maximum loads for

each repetitions†protocol was not adequately pursued by RA Berger or any

other

researcher. Was it that some or many aspects of the experiment, including

statistical analysis were erroneous?

Maybe as economist Walter Bagehot wrote “One of the greatest pains to human

nature is the pain of a new idea.â€

Definition of intensity. So here is how Berger sums up the experiment. â€The

weight training program employing maximum or near maximum loads for each of 10

repetitions is more effective for increasing strength than a program involving

the performance of 10 repetitions with the 10RM, among lifters with no

previous lifting experience and when training is three times a week for 8

weeks.â€

Notice that intensity is defined as 1RM X’S 10 reps or 10RM, using 1RM

strength as the measure for effectiveness. For those interested in 1 set

training is

the above 1RM X’s 10 reps 1 or 10 sets?

Jerry Telle

Lakewood CO USA