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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1329432
This article is part of the Research Topic A Physiologically-Based Approach to Study Different Types of Locomotion in Association with Core Performance View all 12 articles

The influence of real-time quantitative feedback and verbal encouragement on adults' performance in maximal and explosive strength and power in bench press exercise

Provisionally accepted
Martin Pacholek Martin Pacholek *
  • Prince Sultan University, Riyadh, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    In sports practice, a wide array of verbal and non-verbal stimuli can elicit diverse motivations and performance changes. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to compare the impact of various stimuli on maximal strength and power in bench press exercises. Methods: This study involved 48 university students (average age 20.5 ± 2.8 years; body mass 80.1 ± 20 kg; height 174.6 ± 6.7 cm; BMI 26.2 ± 6 kg/m2) who engaged in an 8-week resistance training program. The students were randomly divided into three experimental groups and one control group. The first group received real-time quantitative feedback (RF) on their power output during the bench press exercise, the second group received verbal encouragement (VE) from an instructor, and the third group exercised without any external stimulus (WS). The control group (CG) underwent only pre-and postmeasurements. To compare differences in strength parameters among groups a Two-Way Repeated Measures ANOVA was applied. Results: The results revealed significant improvements in the mean weight for one repetition maximum in the real-time quantitative feedback group (5 kg, 9.76%, p = 0.001, d = 0.529) and the verbal encouragement group (5.42 kg, 11.51%, p = 0.001, d = 1.201). Positive changes were also observed in the mean power at 20 kg and 30 kg for the RF, VE, and WS groups, but at 40 kg, significant improvement was only seen in the real-time quantitative feedback group (247 W, 31.30%, p = 0.001, d = 1.199). Conclusion: These findings underscore the effectiveness of selected stimuli in enhancing maximum strength and power during bench press exercises, with real-time quantitative feedback proving to be the most effective stimulus for improving both maximal strength and power.

    Keywords: motivation1, resistance training2, students3, quality education4, stimuli5, (Min.5-Max. 8)

    Received: 29 Oct 2023; Accepted: 25 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Pacholek. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Martin Pacholek, Prince Sultan University, Riyadh, 11586, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.