Background and Objective

This systematic review with meta-analysis investigated the influence of resistance training proximity-to-failure on muscle hypertrophy.

Methods

Literature searches in the PubMed, SCOPUS and SPORTDiscus databases identified a total of 15 studies that measured muscle hypertrophy (in healthy adults of any age and resistance training experience) and compared resistance training performed to: (A) momentary muscular failure versus non-failure; (B) set failure (defined as anything other than momentary muscular failure) versus non-failure; or (C) different velocity loss thresholds.

Results

There was a trivial advantage for resistance training performed to set failure versus non-failure for muscle hypertrophy in studies applying any definition of set failure [effect size=0.19 (95% confidence interval 0.00, 0.37), p=0.045], with no moderating effect of volume load (p=0.884) or relative load (p=0.525). Given the variability in set failure definitions applied across studies, sub-group analyses were conducted and found no advantage for either resistance training performed to momentary muscular failure versus non-failure for muscle hypertrophy [effect size=0.12 (95% confidence interval −0.13, 0.37), p=0.343], or for resistance training performed to high (>25%) versus moderate (20–25%) velocity loss thresholds [effect size=0.08 (95% confidence interval −0.16, 0.32), p=0.529].

Conclusion

Overall, our main findings suggest that (i) there is no evidence to support that resistance training performed to momentary muscular failure is superior to non-failure resistance training for muscle hypertrophy and (ii) higher velocity loss thresholds, and theoretically closer proximities-to-failure do not always elicit greater muscle hypertrophy. As such, these results provide evidence for a potential non-linear relationship between proximity-to-failure and muscle hypertrophy.

中文翻译：

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阻力训练接近力竭对骨骼肌肥大的影响：系统评价与荟萃分析

背景和目的

这项系统综述和荟萃分析研究了接近力竭的阻力训练对肌肉肥大的影响。

方法

PubMed、SCOPUS 和 SPORTDiscus 数据库中的文献检索共确定了 15 项研究，这些研究测量了肌肉肥大（在任何年龄和有抗阻训练经验的健康成年人中），并将抗阻训练与以下情况进行了比较：(A) 短暂肌肉衰竭与非肌肉衰竭；(B) 设定力竭（定义为除瞬时肌肉力竭之外的任何情况）与非力竭；或 (C) 不同的速度损失阈值。

结果

在应用任何设定力竭定义的研究中，针对肌肉肥大进行设定力竭与非力竭相比，阻力训练具有微不足道的优势[效果大小 = 0.19（95% 置信区间 0.00, 0.37），p = 0.045]，没有调节体积负荷 ( p = 0.884) 或相对负荷 ( p = 0.525) 的影响。考虑到各个研究中应用的失败定义的差异性，进行了亚组分析，结果发现，对于暂时​​性肌肉衰竭进行阻力训练与肌肉肥大时不进行阻力训练相比，没有任何优势[效果大小=0.12（95%置信区间-0.13， 0.37），p = 0.343]，或者对于高（> 25％）与中等（20-25％）速度损失阈值进行的阻力训练[效果大小= 0.08（95％置信区间-0.16，0.32），p = 0.529 ]。

结论

总体而言，我们的主要研究结果表明：(i) 没有证据支持针对瞬时肌肉衰竭进行的阻力训练优于针对肌肉肥大的非衰竭阻力训练；(ii) 速度损失阈值更高，并且理论上更接近于肌肉肥大。 -失败并不总是会引起更大的肌肉肥大。因此，这些结果为接近力竭和肌肉肥大之间潜在的非线性关系提供了证据。