Effectiveness of Progressive Resistance Training for Increasing Maximal Repetitive Lifting Capacity.

摘要

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 12 weeks of progressive resistance training on the performance of a high intensity repetitive lifting task. The repetitive lifting task consisted of lifting a 41 kg box to a chest high shelf as many times as possible in 10 min. Subjects were randomly assigned to a training (TR) or a control group (CT). The TR group (n=18) participated in progressive resistance training 3 times each week for 12 weeks. The CT group (n=7) was asked to maintain their current exercise habits which did not include progressive resistance training. Repetitive lifting task performance and one repetition maximum strength for box lift, bench press, deadlift and squat were recorded before and after progressive resistance training. Improvement in the strength of the training group was significantly greater (p less than .05) than that of the CT group. The increase in strength was accompanied by greater change (p less than .05) in repetitive lifting task performance for the training group (pre-test=79.1 lifts, post test=92.4 lifts) than the CT group (pre-test=84.9 lifts, post test=82.0 lifts). It is concluded that traditional progressive resistance training exercises are effective in improving performance of an occupational lifting task. Regular progressive resistance training can be particularly important in maintaining the effectiveness of manual workers in jobs that require high intensity lifting on an infrequent basis. Keywords: Physical fitness; Training; Work; Manual lifting. (sdw)