Gender differences in perceptual and performance markers following traditional resistance exercise

Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Hayter, Kane;Deakin, Glen B.;Doma, Kenji
Kenji Doma
Abstract

It is already well established that resistance training provides health benefits for both males and females including reduced body fat and blood pressure as well as performance based improvements of increased muscular strength and power (4). These benefits occur following chronic resistance exercise programming at similar rates in both males and females (15). A common consequence of resistance training is acute increases in muscular soreness and fatigue and decreases in strength and power immediately following exercise however this is dependent on volume and intensity of training as well as population group (5). These changes can be categorized as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and often cause discomfort in the days succeeding training as well as limiting the frequency of training. To the author's knowledge, no study has yet investigated the gender differences in performance variables of strength and power immediately following a traditional resistance training session. Previous studies that have looked at gender differences in respect of resistance training have focused on isolated movements such as eccentric elbow flexion exercises (1-3) and the findings have been equivocal. Of these studies only one (2) reported gender differences with a significant strength loss in females immediately following 50 maximal eccentric elbow flexions. The other studies found no gender differences for muscle strength or soreness following similar eccentric elbow flexion protocols. What has not yet been considered is whether males and females experience the same acute responses to the same extent following traditional resistance exercises like leg press. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the gender differences in perceptual measures of soreness and fatigue as well as performance variables of strength and power immediately following traditional resistance exercises.

Journal

Journal of Australian strength and conditioning

Publication Name

Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning

Volume

22

ISBN/ISSN

1836-649X

Edition

N/A

Issue

5

Pages Count

4

Location

N/A

Publisher

Australian Strength and Conditioning Association

Publisher Url

N/A

Publisher Location

N/A

Publish Date

N/A

Url

N/A

Date

N/A

EISSN

N/A

DOI

N/A