The effect of resistance training volume on strength and muscle thickness was investigated by Starkey et al. (1) at the University of Florida center for exercise science. The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of different volumes of high-intensity resistance training on isometric torque and muscle thickness. Fifty-nine subjects initially participated in the study: 48 subjects (21 males, 27 females) completed the study. The subjects were all healthy untrained volunteers (age range 18-50 yr) who did not participate in any other form of training. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two training groups or to a nonexercising control group. Each subject was tested for strength before and after a 14-week training period using a specially designed knee extension (KEXT) and knee flexion (KFLEX) ergometer. Maximal isometric KEXT and KFLEX torque was tested at 6o, 24o, 42o, 60o, 78o, 96o, and 108o of knee flexion. Muscle thickness of the anterior (ANT), lateral (LAT), and posterior (POST) right thigh, the medialis muscle (MED) and the lateralis muscle (LATER) were measured using B-mode ultrasound prior to and following the training period.The training groups completed three bilateral training sessions per a week for 14 weeks using either one (EX-1, N = 18) or three (EX-3, N = 20) sets of exercise. (i.e., one set, three times per week, or three sets, three times per week). The control group (CONT, N = 10) did not train their legs during the 14 weeks. Each set of exercises required performing 8-12 repetitions of KEXT and KFLEX to volitional fatigue. Exercise load, number of repetitions performed, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded after each set to document intensity, perceived effort, and progression of training.Descriptive statistics for age, height, and weight were calculated. Means, standard deviation, and standard error of the means were calculated for the pre- and post-training torques at e...
