A recent study has shed new light on weight training techniques and has given a boost to time-conscious recreational weightlifters just the boost they need to stay with their exercise program. Resistance training (including weightlifting) is a popular and recommended form of exercise for increasing strength, improving overall health and decreasing risk of musculoskeletal injury. Other health benefits include delaying the onset of frailty associated with aging. Resistance training involves lifting or moving a weight a certain number of times (repetitions, or reps) and should involve the major muscles of the legs, chest, back, shoulders, abdomen, and arms. Repetitions are frequently combined into sets, and multiple sets of repetitions have traditionally been used for weight training recommendations. Although ACSM and the United States Surgeon General recommend a single set of eight to 12 repetitions three or more times a week for general health/fitness, single-set reps have been generally thought of as for beginners only.

Get Recruited
Put Your Athletic Profile online for FREE

$250 Essay
Competition.

How do I
contact the
coach.

Most importantly, the results show that single-set regimens remain an effective option for improving muscular fitness in long-term recreational weightlifters. This is important for those who desire the muscular fitness benefits associated with a well rounded physical fitness program but may not have the time to devote to multiple set programs.

The researchers were quick to point out that they were measuring only three factors that improve with strength training. Such other factors as disease-resistance, bone mass, and improvements in metabolism, all of which have been reported as positive results from resistance training, were not addressed. "Weight training should be an important component of any fitness regimen," said Hass. "Obviously the resistance training program should be tailored to meet each individual's goals, but a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to be dependent on a rigid high volume regimen. Our subjects showed enough improvement that the everyday exerciser should be encouraged."

The team of researchers, led by Christopher J. Hass, of the University of Florida, recruited volunteers from a local fitness center, stipulating that they be healthy recreational weightlifters with at least a year's experience. "We knew that exercise enthusiasts often drop out of their weightlifting program because it takes too much time," said Hass. "We wanted to focus on one aspect of a training regimen, and see if recreational weightlifters could get the same or similar conditioning results in a shorter time period."