Resistance Exercise Minimal Dose Strategies for Increasing Muscle Strength in the General Population: an Overview
- PMID: 38509414
- PMCID: PMC11127831
- DOI: 10.1007/s40279-024-02009-0
Resistance Exercise Minimal Dose Strategies for Increasing Muscle Strength in the General Population: an Overview
Abstract
Many individuals do not participate in resistance exercise, with perceived lack of time being a key barrier. Minimal dose strategies, which generally reduce weekly exercise volumes to less than recommended guidelines, might improve muscle strength with minimal time investment. However, minimal dose strategies and their effects on muscle strength are still unclear. Here our aims are to define and characterize minimal dose resistance exercise strategies and summarize their effects on muscle strength in individuals who are not currently engaged in resistance exercise. The minimal dose strategies overviewed were: "Weekend Warrior," single-set resistance exercise, resistance exercise "snacking," practicing the strength test, and eccentric minimal doses. "Weekend Warrior," which minimizes training frequency, is resistance exercise performed in one weekly session. Single-set resistance exercise, which minimizes set number and session duration, is one set of multiple exercises performed multiple times per week. "Snacks," which minimize exercise number and session duration, are brief bouts (few minutes) of resistance exercise performed once or more daily. Practicing the strength test, which minimizes repetition number and session duration, is one maximal repetition performed in one or more sets, multiple days per week. Eccentric minimal doses, which eliminate or minimize concentric phase muscle actions, are low weekly volumes of submaximal or maximal eccentric-only repetitions. All approaches increase muscle strength, and some approaches improve other outcomes of health and fitness. "Weekend Warrior" and single-set resistance exercise are the approaches most strongly supported by current research, while snacking and eccentric minimal doses are emerging concepts with promising results. Public health programs can promote small volumes of resistance exercise as being better for muscle strength than no resistance exercise at all.
© 2024. The Author(s).
Conflict of interest statement
JLN and MP were previously employed at Vitruvian, a company that designs and sells resistance exercise equipment. BK and KN have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Figures
![Fig. 1](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/11127831/bin/40279_2024_2009_Fig1_HTML.gif)
Similar articles
-
Effects of once- versus twice-weekly eccentric resistance training on muscular function and structure in older adults: a randomised controlled trial.Sci Rep. 2024 Apr 26;14(1):9638. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-59788-9. Sci Rep. 2024. PMID: 38671049 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial.
-
Minimal-Dose Resistance Training for Improving Muscle Mass, Strength, and Function: A Narrative Review of Current Evidence and Practical Considerations.Sports Med. 2022 Mar;52(3):463-479. doi: 10.1007/s40279-021-01605-8. Epub 2021 Nov 25. Sports Med. 2022. PMID: 34822137 Review.
-
The Effects of Eccentric Contraction Duration on Muscle Strength, Power Production, Vertical Jump, and Soreness.J Strength Cond Res. 2017 Mar;31(3):773-786. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001675. J Strength Cond Res. 2017. PMID: 27787464 Clinical Trial.
-
Dose-Response Relationships of Resistance Training in Healthy Old Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Sports Med. 2015 Dec;45(12):1693-720. doi: 10.1007/s40279-015-0385-9. Sports Med. 2015. PMID: 26420238 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Neither repetition duration nor number of muscle actions affect strength increases, body composition, muscle size, or fasted blood glucose in trained males and females.Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2019 Feb;44(2):200-207. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2018-0376. Epub 2018 Aug 1. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2019. PMID: 30067077 Clinical Trial.
Cited by
-
Effects of once- versus twice-weekly eccentric resistance training on muscular function and structure in older adults: a randomised controlled trial.Sci Rep. 2024 Apr 26;14(1):9638. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-59788-9. Sci Rep. 2024. PMID: 38671049 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial.
References
-
- Garber CE, Blissmer B, Deschenes MR, Franklin BA, Lamonte MJ, Lee IM, et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults: guidance for prescribing exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011;43(7):1334–1359. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e318213fefb. - DOI - PubMed
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources