Technology and Strength Training

Personal trainers often rely on the latest technology to educate their clients and maximize their workouts. In a July 2008 study in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, however, four researchers discovered that workouts still need a personal touch.

The researchers compared a traditional weight training class to nontraditional classes with online training technology. During the 16-week class, the researchers tried to determine whether or not students could learn resistance training exercises simply by watching videos on the Internet.

The researchers divided the 79 college students into three groups: traditional, online and hybrid. All three groups had the same curriculum and workout requirements, but they differed significantly when it came to the requirements for attendance. The online group could use the Internet and complete their workouts at any gym that was convenient for them, while the traditional group was supervised by trainers and required to attend the sessions in a monitored facility. The students in the hybrid group were able to train independently in class, and they were monitored by an instructor, who corrected improper techniques. These students had access to a Web-based video archive as well as PowerPoint lectures. They also attended in-class demonstrations followed by a traditional class lecture or assigned online reading.

At the beginning and the end of the study, the researchers tested the subjects' upper body strength through a bench press, their lower body strength through a back squat and their knowledge about resistance training through a written exam.

All three groups — online, hybrid and traditional — improved their knowledge about weight training, but the online weight training course did not lead to increased strength. The researchers attributed this finding to the fact that these students had less motivation and less accountability and weren't accurately reporting their results. As a result, the researchers concluded that technology has its limits in a weight training class, and it is necessary to implement a monitoring system to ensure students are completing their workouts.

Although online weight training can serve a certain population and help some people get interested in fitness, it's not the answer for everyone, says Simmons of Evolution in Motion.

“You're told what to do instead of asked to critically think about what you're doing with online training,” he says. “In a gym, the client can interact with a trainer or group exercise instructor, but that's often not the case online. While it is an option for some people, I don't think it will work for most, and I'm 100 percent sure that it's not as effective as face-to-face training.”

Technology, however, can play an important role in helping Americans to adhere to their exercise program, Bryant says. Individuals can use the technology 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and they're not restricted by club hours of operation or personal trainers' availability.

Stress and Strength Gains

Stressful life events can have a negative effect on strength gains, according to a July 2008 study in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. The researchers studied the link between stress and performance in 135 undergraduate students who enrolled in a 1 1/2-hour class that met twice a week for 12 weeks.

After completing a social support inventory and performing one repetition max lifts for the bench press and squat, the students were split into a low-stress and a high-stress group. The researchers discovered that the low-stress participants achieved superior results in the bench press and squat. They concluded that a high amount of stress can make it more difficult to adapt to weight training.

These findings did not surprise Simmons, who says that stress definitely affects a person's ability to make performance gains. To help members get the most from their workout, personal trainers and club owners need to make their fitness facility a relaxing destination. From the minute their members step through the doors, they must allow them to unwind, let go of their daily stress and focus on their workout, he says.

“They need to make their club a third place where members go apart from their work and home,” Simmons says.

Consider These Training Tidbits

• Free-form weight training provides optimal benefits

  A January 2008 study by Globe University, Woodbury, MN, found that subjects in the study improved their balance and strength and had less pain when working out on free-form exercise equipment compared to fixed weight training equipment. The participants improved their strength by 58 percent and their balance by 196 percent.

• Women should lift heavier weights

  A study by the University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, advised women to lift heavier weights during one of their workout days. Although women tend to shy away from heavier weights because they fear getting bulky muscles, they must challenge their muscles to get the optimum benefit from resistance training, says William Kraemer of the University of Connecticut.

• Shorter-duration weight training programs have higher retention rates

  The South Shore YMCA in Quincy, MA, conducted a study at Town Sports International on weight training. One group was required to do 15 minutes of training twice a week, and another group did 50 minutes of training twice a week over an eight-week period. The group with the longer duration session had twice the dropout rate of the group with the shorter duration session.

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