Good Why Is This Topic Important? Article Review Example

SUMMARY

Introduction
Many athletes now use some type of resistance training in their workouts. Not only do athletes just want to stay healthy but they also want to improve their performance in the sports arena. There is no doubt that resistance training can help build muscle strength, increase power, speed, coordination, balance and agility. Over the years, many other health benefits of resistance training have been established on organ systems like the cardiovascular system, bone and skeleton, endocrine and overall body composition. (Westcott, 2012). The other reason why resistance training is now in vogue is because there is a belief that it can help improve athletic performance and may also improve healing or reduce risk of injury.
In the last several decades, many types of resistance training programs have been designed and developed. Studies have examined the effects of resistance training on almost every joint in the body. However, selecting the type of resistance program for an athlete depends on the type of performance he/she is interested in, what type of outcome the individual wants and how much exercise is required. Recent studies indicate that for certain types of sporting events, the athlete may not only want to develop muscle strength and power but also how rapidly the strength can be elicited. For example in a dead weight lift, torque time and speed of strength development is vital. (Cormie, McGuigan, & Newton, 2010).
This paper looked at the effects of barbell deadlift training and how it affected rapid torque characteristics of the knee extensor and flexor muscle. The paper also looked to determine if these muscle changes had any relationship to training-induced rapid torque and vertical jump performance. (Thompson et al., 2015).
Hypothesis: The hypothesis set by the authors was that dead barbell lift training for a short duration of time could affect knee muscles, which can help rapid torque development and vertical jump performance in athletes.

There are many studies on resistance treating and how it can help the athlete develop power, strength endurance and muscle mass. However, very few studies have looked at explosive strength capabilities that are vital for weight lifters and track athletes. Why is it that certain athletes can lift a greater weight than others, even though all other physical features are similar? Experts say this is because of the ability to generate explosive power at the right time. In practical terms, resistance training may be of great use for athletes who want a sudden surge of power- for example when lifting weights or in football, where speed, agility and sudden power are required during blocking and tackling.

Review of Literature

There is an ample amount of research on resistance training. It is also referred to as strength building exercise that utilizes resistance to promote growth of muscle. In the majority of cases, resistance training uses some type of elastic or hydraulic action that creates resistance to being pulled, stretched, bent or squeezed. Resistance training can be either isometric (meaning that the body part is subjected to a force while being still) or it may be isotonic (here the body part is moving against some type of force) - such as when attempting to stretch an elastic band. (Kraemer & Ratamess, 2004). There are many types of resistance programs and many have looked at exercise performance, muscle strength, power and explosive power. However, there are a few studies on development of explosive power following resistance training and the available data are also conflicting. Some have found no changes in development of speed or power of strength and others have found the exact opposite. (Baker, Wilson & Carlyon, 1994; Marshall, McEwen, & Robbins, 2011).
The reasons are even more difficult to follow because of the variability in type of exercise, the individual athletes, non-uniformity of weight and height of the participant, the joint being studied and end point evaluation. There are some studies indicating that that athletes who are into functional sports where explosive speed is required for short time intervals, resistance training can help improve development of explosive power. Others claim that early rate of torque development may be more important than the peak torque. To date, because of the variability in type of exercises, duration of exercise, method of assessing outcome, age of individual and lack of randomization has led to difficulty in making definitive claims about resistance training and its effects on torque generation. Overall, most studies that have looked at effects of resistance training claim that it may influence maximal muscle strength and multiple joint exercise may help adaptation to the athlete than single joint exercises. (Oliveira, et al., 2013).

Methods

This was a randomized study which was carried out for 10 weeks. It investigated the effects of deadlift training on rapid torque development and vertical jump performance in previously untrained college aged men and women. The subjects performed isometric exercises and vertical jumps before and after a 10 week dead lift training intervention. The exercise consisted of 5 sets of repetitions twice a week. All subject involved were familiarized with the types of exercise and how to perform them before the actual study. The participants were asked to keep well hydrated and get adequate sleep before the exercise. The testing was done at the same time each day.
The isomeric strength testing was always performed on the left leg using an isokinetic dynamometer. The torque signal was obtained using the same device and then the data was processed with a computerized program. The vertical leap testing was performed using the guidelines described by Kraemer and Fleck. (2007). In simple terms the maximal height jump was calculated for each individual.
The data were analyzed with analyses of covariance with the pretest and posttest values serving as covariate and dependent variables, respectively. SPSS software version was used to determine the coefficients.
Results The authors looked at torque time generation and vertical jump height measurements after 10 weeks of isometric exercise of the knee extensors and flexors. The chief findings of the study were that after 10 weeks of deadlift training, the athletes showed marked improvement in rapid torque characteristic of both the knee extensor and flexor muscles. Moreover, these increases also correlated with an improved ability to make vertical jumps improvements.

Discussion

After ten weeks of barbell deadlift training, athletes developed an increase in explosive strength characteristics for the knee extensor and flexor muscle groups. Moreover, the changes in explosive strength induced by training were also associated with an increased ability to perform vertical jumps. The study showed that a simple deadlift training program that involved only 20 training session of only 5 exercise sets per session can lead to remarkable improvement in knee extensor and flexor muscles, and an increased ability to perform vertical jumps. The study reinforces the fact that even in the absence of other exercises, barbell dead lifting is a time efficient method to improve explosive strength of the knee extensors and flexors. For athletes in college who lack explosive power and want to try out for a football team or be on the weight lifting team, this short exercise may of great benefit.

References

Baker, D., Wilson, G., Carlyon, B. (1994). Generality versus specificity: A comparison of dynamic and isometric measures of strength and speed-strength. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 68:350–355.
Cormie, P., McGuigan, M.R., Newton, R.U. (2010). Adaptations in athletic performance after ballistic power versus strength training. Med Sci Sports Exerc 42:1582–1598.
Kraemer, W.J., Fleck, S.J. (2007). Optimizing Strength Training. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Kraemer, W.J., Ratamess, N.A. (2004). Fundamentals of resistance training: Progression and exercise prescription. Med Sci Sports Exerc 36:674–688.
Marshall, P.W., McEwen, M., Robbins, D.W. (2011). Strength and neuromuscular adaptation following one, four, and eight sets of high intensity resistance exercise in trained males. Eur J Appl Physiol 111:3007–3016.
Oliveira, F.B., Oliveira, A.S., Rizatto, G.F., Denadai, B.S. (2013). Resistance training for explosive and maximal strength: Effects on early and late rate of force development. J Sports Sci Med 12 402–408.
Thompson, B.J., Stock, M.S., Shields, J.E., et al. (2015). Barbell Deadlift Training Increases the Rate of Torque Development and Vertical Jump Performance in Novices. J Strength Condi Res. Access on Feb 4, 2015. http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2015/01000/Barbell_Deadlift_Training_Increases_the_Rate_of.1.aspx
Westcott, W.L. (2012). Resistance training is medicine: Effects of strength training on health. Curr Sports Med Rep 11:209–216.
References
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