Big Improvements in Weightlifting Performance with Velocity-Based Training
Man's investigation discovers enhancing weight lifted contributes to boosted muscle power
Toss aside the conventional wisdom - reducing the amount of weight you lift during your training sessions can actually boost your performance! Researchers have nailed it, showing that weightlifters can enhance their performance across various measures with a change in training methods.
Look, these geniuses hail from the University of Lincoln in the UK. They've published their findings in the illustrious Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. The groundbreaking research reveals that busting out fewer reps using velocity-based training (VBT) leaves your muscles less tired and ready for action while maintaining or improving your performance.
Adults should be performing some form of muscle-strengthening exercises on at least two days a week. Activities like press-ups, sit-ups, and weightlifting are all on the menu, but getting your rest is crucial too. Recovery is essential to stay injury-free and maximize the efficiency of your workouts.
Traditional weightlifting involves lifting a specific percentage of your maximum weight for each exercise. However, in the exciting world of VBT, the speed of your movements is analyzed, and the weights are adjusted based on your performances relative to your maximum on that day.
The researchers gathered 16 dudes, aged between 18 and 29, with a minimum of 2 years of weightlifting experience, then split them into two groups. One group trained with the traditional percentage-based system (PBT), while the other got the VBT treatment. Determining each participant's maximum lift, the PBT group stuck to training using their predetermined percentages. For the VBT crew, trainers used their warm-up performances to set individual limits and then tailored the weights accordingly, reducing weights if their speed was off and heaping on more metal if they cranked out the reps just as quickly as before.
At the end of the six-week training program, the weightlifters were put through their paces again, performing bench presses, conventional deadlifts, strict overhead presses, countermovement jumps, and squat presses.
Despite the VBT group lifting less overall, these warriors of the ironmaxed their performance more than the PBT troops. Mind you, these differences may have appeared small, ranging from 1% to 6% depending on the exercise, but here's the kicker - the VBT group made these gains by lifting less weight.
"With traditional percentage-based methods, we wouldn't have a clue about how factors like sleep, nutrition, motivational factors are impacting their strength," said Dr. Harry Dorrell from the University of Lincoln's School of Sport and Exercise Science. "Velocity-based training enables us to see if they're up or down on their normal performance and adjust the load accordingly."
"It's about finding the optimal load for the individual on that specific day," he continued. "Lift too little, and you're underperforming; lift too much, you're covering ground in a weakened state, raising the risk of injury."
It's obvious that athletes will benefit from this research. By reducing the amount of weight lifted in certain sessions, they can cut down on muscle fatigue and speed up their recovery while nixing the danger of injury. But hey, everyday Joes looking to pump some iron for health reasons might also gain from this discovery!
- In the realm of health-and-wellness, velocity-based training (VBT) in fitness-and-exercise like weightlifting can potentially reduce muscle fatigue while maintaining or improving performance, as suggested by the research published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
- This approach to weight-management through fitness-and-exercise can be beneficial for athletes, as it allows for adjusted weights based on individual performances, potentially enhancing recovery and minimizing the risk of injury.
- Additionally, this science-backed method could also be advantageous for individuals seeking to improve their muscle-strengthening exercises as part of their overall health-and-wellness routine, promoting fitness-and-exercise efficiency and injury prevention.
