Journal of strength and conditioning research
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J Strength Cond Res · May 2009
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyComparison of two lower-body modes of endurance training on lower-body strength development while concurrently training.
The most recent American College of Sports Medicine (1998) recommendations for quantity and quality of exercise includes both resistance and endurance exercise components. Skeletal muscle adaptations to resistance-only and endurance-only programs may be different and possibly antagonistic when both types of training are imposed concurrently. The present study examined the effect of two different modes of lower-body endurance exercise (i.e., cycle ergometry and incline treadmill walking) on lower-body strength development with concurrent resistance training designed to improve lower-body strength (i.e., bilateral leg press 1 repetition maximum [RM]). ⋯ The findings confirm previous studies that reported attenuated strength development with concurrent resistance and endurance training compared with resistance-only training. More importantly, this study indicates that the mode of endurance exercise in concurrent training regimens may play a role in the development of strength. Specifically, it seems that cycling is superior to treadmill endurance training for an individual with the goal of developing strength in a multijoint movement (i.e., leg press or squat) in the lower-body because it more closely mimics the biomechanical movement of these exercises.