18th Annual Student Research Conference
Human Potential and Performance
Strength Gains due to Different Resistance Training Devices
Chelsea D. McClease
Dr. Jerry 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