The Study
Acute responses of muscle oxygen saturation during different cluster training configurations in resistance-trained individuals
This study tested three different ways to lift weights and saw that one way made people feel less tired and kept their arms moving faster during the workout. But it only looked at one workout — it doesn’t prove that one way is better for getting stronger over time or for everyone.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
This study tested three ways to do heavy bench presses: one with long breaks between sets, and two with tiny breaks between reps. It found that the tiny breaks made the workout feel easier and less tiring on your muscles, but didn't help you do more push-ups or pull-ups afterward.
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 549 / 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 cluster training made the workout feel less exhausting and kept your movement speed higher, it didn't translate to better performance in other exercises right after — meaning it reduces fatigue during the set, but not necessarily overall recovery.
- 2Cluster training reduced velocity loss by 70-75% (from 19% to 5%) and lowered blood lactate by 30-38% (from 8.9 to 6.1 mmol/L).
- 3RPE dropped from 7.95 to 6.91.
- 4SmO2, heart rate, and push-up/pull-up performance stayed the same.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Biology of Sport
Year
2021
Authors
I. M. Guardado, A. Guerra, Borja Sanabria Pino, G. O. Camacho, R. Andrada
Related Content
Claims (6)
Different people experience different levels of fatigue during a single resistance training session and recover at different rates between sessions.
Among people who regularly lift weights, using cluster training during heavy bench presses leads to a 13% lower perceived effort than traditional training, even when the total amount of weight lifted and intensity are the same.
In resistance-trained individuals performing high-intensity bench presses, cluster training and traditional training produce the same level of muscle oxygen saturation, even though they differ in how much movement speed decreases and how much lactate builds up.
Among people who regularly lift weights, using cluster training instead of traditional training does not lead to more push-ups or pull-ups performed to failure after a tough upper-body workout, even though it causes less short-term fatigue.
For people who regularly lift weights, using cluster sets or traditional sets during intense upper-body workouts results in the same heart rate and blood pressure changes, even though the feeling of fatigue may differ between the two methods.
Among trained lifters doing heavy bench presses, using short rest breaks between repetitions or sets reduces the drop in bar speed by 70-75% and lowers blood lactate levels by 30-38% compared to performing the same lifts without breaks.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.