Effects of High-Intensity Resistance Training Volume on Muscle Performance and Blood-derived Markers in...

The present study aimed to compare the effects of high-intensity resistance training (HIRT) with different training volumes on physical performance and blood-derived markers adaptations in recreationally trained subjects. Thirty subjects of both genders (21.7 ± 1.8 years old; body mass 62.4 ± 6.5 kg; height 1.7 ± 0.03 m) were randomly allocated to perform lower (G4; women = 7; men = 8) or higher (G6; women = 8; men = 7) training volume, which consisted of 4 and 6 weekly sets per muscle group, respectively. The HIRT method consisted of 2 sets of the following: 6 repetitions maximum (RM) at 85% of the 1RM followed by 20-seconds of rest, 3RM, another 20-seconds of rest, followed by 3RM, and finally, 2:30 minutes of rest. After 2:30 minutes of rest, the participants repeated the entire sequence a second time (i.e., the second series was performed). Muscle performance and blood-derived markers were assessed before and after 4 weeks of training. No significant differences in physical performance were observed between groups. However, there were significant changes in creatine kinase (p = 0.03), creatinine (p = 0.01), and lactate dehydrogenase (p = 0.01), with higher values for G6 in comparison to G4. HIRT improved muscle performance regardless of training volume. Nevertheless, the greater volume resulted in more pronounced increases in blood-derived markers of muscle damage when compared to the lower volume group. Therefore, considering the similar benefits on muscle performance, it would be recommended to perform lower volumes to prevent unnecessary physiological stress.