The Study
Effects of Training Volume in the Bench-Press Exercise Performed With Interrepetition Rest Periods on Strength Gains and Neuromuscular Adaptations.
This study compared three different workout routines to see which one made people stronger. It found that all three routines made people stronger, but none was clearly better than the others. That doesn't mean they're all exactly the same—it just means we can't tell the difference with this test.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Three groups of guys lifted weights with short breaks between reps, but each did a different total number of reps over eight weeks.
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 555 / 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 — doing 180 reps total (about 23 reps per week) made guys faster at lifting, even though they didn't lift more total weight than the high-volume group.
- 2Low group: 48 reps total.
- 3Moderate group: 180 reps total.
- 4High group: 312 reps total.
- 5All got stronger.
- 6Only the moderate group got faster at lifting without weight.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
International journal of sports physiology and performance
Year
2024
Authors
J. Páez-Maldonado, Claro Cano, P. Cornejo-Daza, J. Sánchez-Valdepeñas, L. Rodiles-Guerrero, Mathias Wernbom, M. Ortega-Becerra, F. Pareja-Blanco
Related Content
Claims (5)
Resistance-trained men who perform 180 total repetitions of bench press over eight weeks experience a measurable increase in how fast they can move the bar without weight, compared to other repetition volumes, even if their strength does not change.
Among resistance-trained men, performing 180 bench press repetitions spread over eight weeks with rest between each repetition results in the greatest increase in strength and the only measurable improvement in how fast they can move the bar without weight.
When performing bench presses with shorter rest periods between repetitions, moderate and high volume training sessions cause greater reductions in bar speed than low volume sessions, even when the total amount of work performed is the same.
In resistance-trained men, performing bench presses at low or moderate volumes increases triceps muscle activity more than performing high volumes over eight weeks when using interrepetition rest.
Among men trained in resistance exercise, three different volumes of bench press training over eight weeks produced the same significant increase in maximum strength, even though the total number of repetitions differed greatly.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.