THE EFFECT OF PREVIOUS TRAINING EXPERIENCE ON CHANGES IN ONE REPETITION MAXIMUM IN UNTRAINED INDIVIDUALS

THE EFFECT OF PREVIOUS TRAINING EXPERIENCE ON CHANGES IN ONE REPETITION MAXIMUM IN UNTRAINED INDIVIDUALS K. Bingham, S. Sleight, B. Thomas, D.E. Lankford Brigham Young University-Idaho, Rexburg, ID The purpose of this study was to determine if previous experience performing the bench press and squat would significantly impact changes in one repetition max (1RM) of untrained participants over a twelve-week training period. METHODS: Forty-two participants, aged 18-25, who were classified as untrained due to performing no more than two weeks of weight training during the previous six months, participated in this study. Participants were categorized into untrained experienced (UT-E) (those who had at least 3 consecutive months of prior weight training experience) or untrained inexperienced (UT-I) (those with less than 3 consecutive months of prior weight training experience.) Each participant performed six resistance lifts, three days per week, for twelve weeks. 1RM’s were assessed for each lift at weeks 0, 6, and 12. Prior to the any testing, participants underwent three standardized familiarization training sessions. Resistance was periodized during the 12 weeks as follows: 82% of the highest 1RM for seven reps during weeks 1, 2, 7, and 8, 87% for five reps during weeks 3, 4, 9, and 10, and finally 93% for three reps during weeks 5,6,11, and 12. Changes in 1RM over 12 weeks were analyzed using independent T-tests with a significance value set at p =\u3c0.05. RESULTS: No significant changes in squat 1RM (p =0.91) occurred between experienced (51.9 ± 5.0 lbs) and inexperienced (43.8 ± 3.6 lbs) participants following 12 weeks of training. However, UT-E improved on bench press significantly (27.1 ± 2.9) over 12 weeks compared to UT-I participants (19.0 ± 1.6, p =.019). CONCLUSION: Results from squat data suggest that it is not necessary to control for previous experience when dealing with untrained participants. However, inexperienced individuals may see reduced changes in bench press strength compared to experienced individuals regardless of familiarization sessions