The purposes of this investigation were to exaimine the efects of unilateral eccentric-only
dynamic constant external resistance (DCER) training of the leg extensor muscles om:
(a) eccentric DCER strength in the trained and untrained limbs, (b) concentric isokinetic
leg extension peak torque-velocity curves in the trained and untrained limbs, and
(c) retention of eccenitric DCER strength and concentric isokinetic peak torque in
the trained and untrained limbs following detraining. Seventeen adult male (X age±SD
= 24±3yr) volunteers comprised training (TR, n = 9) and control (CTL, n = 8) groups.
The TR group trained the leg extensor muscles of the nondominant limb with eccemtric-only
DCER exercise (3-5 sets of 6 repetitions at 80 % of the eccentric one-repetition maximum
[1-RM] load) for eight weeks followed by eight additional weeks of detraining. The
CTL grou|p did not train. All subjects were tested pretraining, posttraining, and
after detraining for 1 -RM unilateral eccentric DCER strength <of the leg extensor
muscles as well as concentric isokinetic leg extension peak torque at 1.05, 2.09,
3.14, 4.19, and 5.24 rad · s-1 in both limbs. Mixed factorial ANOVAs, follow-ups, and post-hoc analyses indicated
that the training resulted in increased eccentric DCER strength in both the trained
(29 %) and untraimed (17 %) limbs, but no change in isokinetic peak torque at any
of the velocities of contraction in either limb. Furthermore, the training-induced
increases in eccentric DCER strength for both limbs were retained across eight weeks
of detraining.
Key words
Resistance training - detraining - isokinettic - cross-training
