Abstract
BACKGROUND: Resistance training is an effective way to enhance strength in female youth but, to date, no researcher has meta-analysed its effect on muscular strength in that population.
OBJECTIVES: This meta-analysis characterised female youths' adaptability to resistance training (RT). A second objective was to highlight the limitations of the body of literature with a view to informing future research.
DATA SOURCES: Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science.
STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Resistance training interventions in healthy females with a mean age between 8 and 18 years. Programmes of between 4 and 16 weeks' duration that included a control group.
STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS: The inverse-variance random effects model for meta-analyses was used because it allocates a proportionate weight to trials based on the size of their individual standard errors and facilitates analysis whilst accounting for heterogeneity across studies. Effect sizes, calculated from a measure of muscular strength, are represented by the standardised mean difference and are presented alongside 95% confidence intervals.
RESULTS: The magnitude of the main effect was 'small' (0.54, 95% confidence interval: 0.23-0.85). Effect sizes were larger in older (> 15 years; ES = 0.72 [0.23-1.21] vs. 0.38 [- 0.02-0.79]), taller (> 163 cm; ES = 0.67 [0.20-1.13] vs. 0.55 [0.08-1.02]) and heavier (< 54 kg; ES = 0.67 [0.30-1.03] vs. 0.53 [- 0.00-1.06]) participants.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS OF KEY FINDINGS: Resistance training is effective in female youth. These findings can be used to inform the prescription of RT in female youth.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1661-1671 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Sports Medicine |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| Early online date | 6 Apr 2018 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 2018 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40279- 018-0914-4Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium
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