The Study
Effect of velocity loss during squat training on neuromuscular performance
This study is like a fair race where three groups of guys trained differently, but everything else was the same. It shows that one group (with less fatigue) got better at jumping and sprinting. But it doesn't prove that this will work for everyone—just these guys in this study.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Three groups of men did squats for 8 weeks with different rules on when to stop each set. One group stopped early (10% speed drop), another pushed harder (30%), and the last pushed even harder (45%).
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 568 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — you can get better at explosive movements like jumping and sprinting by training with less fatigue, even if you do fewer reps.
- 2All groups got stronger.
- 3But the group that stopped early (10%) jumped 11.9% higher and ran 2.4% faster than the others, even though they did 64% fewer squats.
- 4No muscle electrical activity changed in any group.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports
Year
2021
Authors
D. Rodríguez-Rosell, J. Yáñez-García, R. Mora-Custodio, L. Sánchez-medina, J. Ribas-Serna, J. González-Badillo
Related Content
Claims (6)
In young, trained men, lifting weights at moderate intensity does not change the electrical signals recorded from the quadriceps muscles, regardless of how fatigued they become during the set.
Young trained men who lift weights at moderate intensity with minimal speed loss improve their sprinting and jumping ability more than those who train with greater speed loss, while doing less total work and experiencing less fatigue.
Young trained men who perform squats with moderate weight and limit speed loss to 10% per set improve their jump height and sprint time more than those who allow 30% or 45% speed loss, but both groups gain equal strength and endurance.
In young, trained men, lifting weights at moderate intensity with 10% velocity loss produces the same gains in maximum strength and muscle endurance as lifting with 30% or 45% velocity loss, even though the total number of repetitions is 64% lower.
In young, trained men, performing resistance exercises with moderate weights and allowing at least 30% drop in movement speed leads to more slow, fatigued repetitions and reduced improvement in explosive power compared to exercises with only 10% speed drop, even when both methods produce the same increase in maximum strength.
When lifting weights, stopping when speed drops by about 30% leads to larger increases in strength than lifting until exhaustion.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.