A comparison of single-set and three-set strength maintenance protocols during the college football season 2007

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of single-set resistance training compared to three-set resistance training during the maintenance phase of the collegiate football season. Specifically, the two purposes of this study were: 1) to compare the change in converted 1 RM (repetition maximum) bench press from a preand post-season test for the single-set group and the three-set group, and 2) to compare the change in converted 1 RM parallel squat from a pre- and post-season test for the single-set group and the three-set group. Twenty-four NCAA Division III collegiate football players voluntarily participated in the study. The participants were divided into single-set and three-set strength maintenance groups. Both groups participated in a ten week maintenance program with the volume of sets being the independent variable. Prior to and following the season the participants performed a submaximal bench press and parallel squat test. The submaximal test results were converted to 1 RM’s. The results of the tests were then analyzed using a 2 (test) X 2 (group) mixed ANOVA. No significant differences were observed within or between the groups from the pre-season to postseason tests. Neither maintenance protocol produced significantly superior results than the other. Therefore, it was concluded that based on the reduced training time required and reduced possibility of overtraining, single-set programs should be used to maintain strength during the collegiate football season