Does increasing an athletes’ strength improve sports performance? A critical review with suggestions to help answer this, and other, causal questions in sport science

Abstract

Researchers and practitioners in sports science aim to generate, and apply, knowledge to improve sports performance. One area of interest is the role that muscular strength, and thus approaches to improve this (i.e. resistance training), has upon sports performance. In this review we briefly consider the evidence regarding an answer to the causal question "Does increasing an athletes' strength improve sports performance?". Design & Methods: We first consider the Applied Research Model for the Sport Sciences (ARMSS) to frame the problem and answer this. We then highlight barriers to answering it (and other causal questions) before offering suggestions to address these. Results: Muscular strength typically differentiates elite and non-elite athletes, and is correlated with proxy measures of sports performance. However, there is insufficient evidence to make a definitive statement regarding the causal effect of muscular strength upon sports performance. Conclusions: Considering the ARMSS, evidence is lacking whether improving muscular strength is causally related to sports performance. Present evidence is primarily observational and cross-sectional, experimental evidence is limited and focused upon proxy measures of sports performance, primarily conducted in small samples, and with little consideration regarding meaningfulness of effects. Suggestions to help improve research in this area and better answer this question include: larger sample sizes, determination of smallest effect sizes of interest for outcomes including muscular strength and proxy measures of sports performance (using both anchoring and/or expert opinion), and use of causal inference methods for observational data (actual sports performance, performance indicators, and fitness measures) including graphical causal diagrams and mediation analysis.

“You can't shoot another bullet until you've reloaded the gun”: Coaches' perceptions, practices and experiences of deloading in strength and physique sports

“…"We generally reduce their training volume with a specific focus on reducing accessory volume" (5). A reduction in training volume during the deload was not always conceptualised as a global training modification.…”

“…"I usually tell them that all training sets should be terminated with at least four repetitions in reserve" (5).…”

The Minimum Effective Training Dose Required for 1RM Strength in Powerlifters

“…However, it is not fully clear what is meant by PL athletes and coaches when considering “meaningful” changes. Thus, as suggested by Steele et al ( 2020 ), in order to aid in the interpretation of intervention research on the METD, it is necessary to understand what is considered “meaningful” by these populations.…”

“…A survey of PL athletes of all levels (regional, national, and international) and semi-structured interviews with highly experienced PL coaches and elite PL athletes were conducted to better understand what is regarded as a meaningful increase in SQ, BP, DL, and PL total strength over 6 weeks. An expert elicitation of minimal important effect approach may allow for better interpretation of the intervention results (Steele et al, 2020 ), and so this was conducted primarily to inform interpretation of the results from the two training studies that are described in detail later in the manuscript. Prior to commencing the survey and interviews, the study was approved by the Solent University Health, Exercise, and Sport Science Ethics Committee (reference: andrp2020 ).…”

“…No previous study has explored what PL athletes and coaches regard as meaningful strength increases in 6 weeks. Indeed, studies utilising such elicitation methods are relatively uncommon in sport and exercise science (Steele et al, 2020 ). The PL athletes expressed that a PL total increase of 17.7 ± 12.1kg would be meaningful over a 6 weeks training period, which was similar to the 16.8 ± 16.3kg increase that the participants that were both athletes and coaches deemed meaningful.…”