The aim of this overview of reviews, or Umbrella Review, was to determine the impact of resistance training prescription on resistance training outcomes such as muscle function and hypertrophy. As research in this area has expanded significantly, data analysis from over 137 studies and 30,000+ participants were used to provide the presented evidence based exercise standards for adults. The paper serves as an update to the 2009 Position Stand Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults.
The statement summarizes the impact of resistance training variables on various outcomes relevant to resistance training in healthy adults, which include:
- Muscle hypertrophy
- Strength
- Power
- Endurance
- Contraction velocity
- Physical function (e.g., gait speed, balance, and stair climbing)
Along with key findings, the statement provides practical recommendations for adults. For those wanting to incorporate this information into a lecture, a short PowerPoint slide deck is available, along with an infographic highlighting five major takeaways, accessible on the ACSM website.
ACSM‘s Position Stands and Umbrella Reviews serve as the most authoritative and influential, evidence based statement on a topic of relevance to those in the fields of exercise science and sports medicine. These statements are developed using ACSM’s approved Evidence Based Protocol, which includes the development of PICOT questions, a systematic review of the literature, evaluation of individual studies for freedom from risk of bias and grading the overall strength of evidence.
This statement is freely available on the ACSM website, along with ACSM’s full list of Position Stands and Scientific Statements.
