Comparison Between Bilateral and Unilateral Leg-Press Resistance Exercise Training for Their Effects on Muscle...

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Sports Science
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Resistance training is crucial for enhancing muscle strength and athletic performance.
• The effectiveness of unilateral versus bilateral training protocols requires further investigation, particularly with eccentric-accentuated exercises.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effects of unilateral and bilateral leg-press resistance training on lower-limb muscle strength and jump performance.
• To determine if training specificity influences strength adaptations in unilateral versus bilateral leg-press protocols.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-eight untrained young men were divided into bilateral (BG) and unilateral (UG) training groups.
• Both groups performed eccentric-accentuated leg-press training (3 sets of 10 reps, twice weekly for 8 weeks).
• Measurements included 1 repetition maximum (1RM) strength, maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) torque, and various jump performances (SJ, CMJ, DJ).

Main Results:

• Both BG and UG showed significant increases in bilateral leg-press 1RM strength and knee extensor MVC.
• Jump performances (SJ, CMJ, DJ) improved similarly in both groups.
• The UG demonstrated a significantly greater increase in unilateral leg-press 1RM strength compared to the BG (22.7% vs. 13.7%).

Conclusions:

• Unilateral eccentric-accentuated leg-press training leads to greater improvements in single-leg strength compared to bilateral training, likely due to training specificity.
• Both training modalities yield comparable benefits for overall muscle strength and jump performance.
• No significant correlations were found between changes in muscle strength and jump height measures.