週1回の大学授業における筋力トレーニングが筋力に与える影響  [in Japanese] Effect of resistance training at a frequency of once a week on muscular strength in college students  [in Japanese]

To investigate the effect of resistance training at lower than the recommended frequency (2-3 times a week) on muscular strength, we recruited 103 college students (67 males 61±8kg, 36 females 51±4kg, mean±SD) who had never regularly engaged in resistance training. They performed resistance training in a PE class once a week for seven to ten weeks. We measured one repetition maximum (1RM) for the bench press and arm curl, and the girth of the thigh and upper arm before and after the training. The training included stretching, three sets of ten repetitions on a bench press, half squat lift, arm curl and three types of training chosen by each subject. The weight load was 10RM, which was progressively increased; when the subject succeeded in lifting a load ten times at the first set, the load was increased in the following week. After the training period 1RM was increased by more than 10% compared with that before training, for either the bench press or the arm curl, in all subjects. The 1RM for the bench press significantly increased from 46±9kg to 54±9kg in males, and from 22±4kg to 28±5kg in females, and that for the arm curl also increased significantly. No significant change was found in the girth of the thigh and upper arm. On the other hand, 49 male students who undertook softball in a PE class did not show any significant change in 1RM after the eight-week control period, compared to that before the period. These results demonstrate that resistance training at a frequency lower than the recommended one increases muscular strength in college students, possibly through adaptations in the nervous system.