The Study
Does Varying Resistance Exercises for the Same Muscle Group Promote Greater Strength Gains?
This study shows what happened to two groups of young men who did different workout routines. It can tell us that one way of training might be linked to slightly better leg strength, but it can't prove that it caused the difference because we don’t know all the details about how the study was done.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Some people did the same exercises every week, others changed them. Both got stronger in lifting tests, but those who stuck to the same exercises got a bit stronger in a knee push test.
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 540 / 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.
- 1The difference in knee strength might matter for athletes focusing on specific movements, but overall lifting strength improved the same either way.
- 2Everyone got better at lifting heavy weights.
- 3The same-exercise group improved knee push strength by 12%, the varied group by 7%.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Year
2022
Authors
Bruna Costa, Witalo Kassiano, J. Nunes, Gabriel Kunevaliki, Pâmela Castro-e-Souza, P. Sugihara Júnior, R. R. Fernandes, E. Cyrino, L. Fortes
Related Content
Claims (4)
If you mix up your workouts for the same muscle, you’ll grow that muscle more evenly than if you always do the same exercise.
If young guys lift weights all over their body 3 times a week for 9 weeks, they'll get stronger — no matter if they switch up their exercises or stick to the same ones.
If young guys switch up their weightlifting exercises for the same muscles, they’ll get just as strong as if they stuck to the same routine for 9 weeks.
If young guys stick to the same exercises every time they work out for about two months, they get stronger in a specific leg test than if they keep switching up their routine.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.