Manual resistance versus conventional resistance training: Impact on strength and muscular endurance in recreationally trained men

Manual resistance training (mrt) has been widely used in the field of physical therapy. it has also been used as a strength training method due to the accommodating resistance nature of this modality. the aim of the present study was to compare the effects of an 8-week mrt program on maximum strength and muscular endurance in comparison to conventional resistance training in recreationally trained men. twenty healthy recreationally trained male subjects were recruited and divided into a mrt training group and a conventional training (ct) group. ct group performed bench press and lat pull-down exercises,and the mrt group performed similar movements with resistance provided by a personal trainer. both groups completed similar training protocol and training load: 2 training sessions weekly for 3 sets of 8 repetitions at an intensity of 8 to 10 on the perceived exertion scale of 0-10. initial maximum strength differences were not significant between the groups. neither group showed significant changes in muscular strength or endurance. despite the statistically non-significant pre- to post differences,a trend for improvement was observed and effect size (es) calculations indicated greater magnitude of effects for strength and endurance changes in the mrt group in lat pulldown (g=0.84) compared to ct group. effectiveness of mrt is similar to ct for improving muscular strength and endurance. mrt can be used as a supplemental or alternative strength training modality for recreationally trained subjects,or be considered by personal trainers especially in low equipped facility conditions. © journal of sports science and medicine.