The influence of resistance exercise training prescription variables on skeletal muscle mass, strength, and physical function in healthy adults: an umbrella review

Review written by Dr Mariana Wingood info

Key Points

  1. Variables impacting muscle hypertrophy: volume and muscle action type are crucial for skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with more than 10 sets per muscle group per week and eccentric exercises showing significant gains.
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BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Resistance training (RT) is an integral part of physical therapy. Physical therapists utilize RT to increase muscular health, particularly hypertrophy, strength, and physical function (i.e. gait speed, ability to get up off the floor, and ability to stand up from a chair) (1). When prescribing RT there are many variables that need to be considered, such as load, when the set is ended (i.e. when does muscular failure occur), contraction velocity, time under tension, volume/number of sets, set configuration, rest breaks between sets, periodization, frequency, muscle action type, time of day, and exercise order. The specifics of optimal dosage based on these variables is not fully understood.

The objective of this study was to determine the impact of RT, including prescription variables, on muscle mass, strength, and physical function in healthy adults.

Physical therapists utilize resistance training to increase muscular health, particularly hypertrophy, strength, and physical function.
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Volume and the type of muscle action are two variables that need to be considered when prescribing resistance training exercises for skeletal muscle hypertrophy.

METHODS

An umbrella review of systematic reviews that reported the effects of RT on muscle mass (or its proxies), strength, and/or physical function among healthy adults aged >18 years.

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