18th Annual Student Research Conference
Human Potential and Performance
Strength Gains due to Different Resistance Training Devices
Chelsea D. McClease
Dr. Jerry L. Mayhew , Faculty Mentor
The purpose of this study was to determine the specific nature of strength improvement using three different bench press techniques. College men (n = 163) enrolled in a required lifetime health and fitness class were tested initially on a free-weight 1-RM bench press. Participants were then allowed to select one of three resistance training methods: free (FW, n = 109), Nautilus (NW, n = 27), or Leverage weights (LW, n = 27). Following eight weeks of training, each group was retested on both their specific training device and the free-weight bench press. There was a trend toward a significant improvement (p=0.052) in all three groups for the FW 1-RM following training. In contrast, the specific improvements for NW and LW were significantly greater (p<0.001) than for FW. Resistance training method may improve strength, but the greatest improvement is present when the testing is performed on the device used for training.
Keywords: bench press, resistance training, free weights, Nautilus, leverage bench
Topic(s):Exercise Science
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: 29-23
Location: OP Lobby & Atrium
Time: 1:15