The Study
Resistance training leading to repetition failure increases muscle strength and size, but not power-generation capacity in judo athletes
This study watched different groups of judo athletes do different arm exercises and measured changes in their muscles. It can show that certain exercises were linked to bigger or stronger muscles, but it can't prove those exercises definitely caused the changes because we don't know for sure how the groups were picked.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Some athletes did arm curls with different weights and effort levels to see what makes muscles bigger and stronger without improving power.
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 560 / 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.
- 1Even though muscles got bigger and stronger, the athletes couldn't produce more power quickly—important for throwing or striking in judo.
- 2All groups got stronger and bigger arms.
- 3The heavy weights to failure and light weights without going to failure worked best.
- 4No one got better at fast, powerful moves.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
PLOS ONE
Year
2024
Authors
Miyuki Nakatani, Y. Takai, Hiroaki Kanehisa
Related Content
Claims (10)
Going all the way to failure on every set doesn’t really make you stronger than stopping a few reps short.
If super strong male judo guys bulk up more with heavy weight training, they might actually get less powerful for their size, meaning bigger muscles don’t always mean better performance.
In elite judo athletes, performing resistance training with different loads or to muscle failure does not change their ability to generate power, as measured by specific force and velocity metrics.
If elite male judo guys do bicep curls with dumbbells twice a week for six weeks—whether they go super fast with light weights, lift heavy until they can’t anymore, or go fast without pushing to failure—their biceps still get thicker and stronger, even during their competition season.
Even if elite male judo athletes lift weights for 6 weeks, it doesn’t seem to make them more explosive — getting stronger or bigger muscles doesn’t necessarily help them punch or throw faster.
Among elite judo athletes, the total amount of resistance training does not reliably determine increases in muscle size or strength; instead, how heavy the weights are and how fatigue is managed during training may matter more.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.