SynthesisMedicine and science in sports and exercise2021
Resistance Training Load Effects on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gain: Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 142 papers, 24 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
142 citing papers in PubMed, 24 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 298 citations in OpenAlex.
- Acute and Chronic Effects of Accentuated Eccentric Loading vs. Constant-Load Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Pooled it
- Non-Specific Strength Changes Between High- and Low-Load Isotonic Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Pooled it
- The Resistance Training Dose Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gains.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Pooled it
- Comparative efficacy of different interventions on circulating factors in sarcopenia individuals: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2026Pooled it
- Does chronic polyphenol supplementation modify resistance training-induced strength and muscle morphology adaptations in adults? A systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- Non-pharmacological therapy for pediatric adenoid hypertrophy: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Pooled it
- Efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions for childhood asthma: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.BMC pediatrics · 2025Pooled it
- The effects of normobaric hypoxic resistance training on muscle strength in healthy adults.European journal of applied physiology · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of high-intensity interval training for physical fitness in university students.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- Superset Versus Traditional Resistance Training Prescriptions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Exploring Acute and Chronic Effects on Mechanical, Metabolic, and Perceptual Variables.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2025Pooled it
- Comparison of Muscle Growth and Dynamic Strength Adaptations Induced by Unilateral and Bilateral Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of Resistance Training Volume on Physical Function, Lean Body Mass and Lower-Body Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis of 151 Randomised Trials.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2025Pooled it
- Resistance or power training to enhance lower limb muscle morphology in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy? A focused systematic review with meta-analysis.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025Pooled it
- Concurrent Strength and Endurance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Impact of Sex and Training Status.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2024Pooled it
- Give it a rest: a systematic review with Bayesian meta-analysis on the effect of inter-set rest interval duration on muscle hypertrophy.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- The influence of resistance exercise training prescription variables on skeletal muscle mass, strength, and physical function in healthy adults: An umbrella review.Journal of sport and health science · 2024Pooled it
- The effects of plyometric training on physical fitness and skill-related performance in female basketball players: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in physiology · 2024Pooled it
- Preferred Reporting Items for Resistance Exercise Studies (PRIRES): A Checklist Developed Using an Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews.Sports medicine - open · 2023Pooled it
- Resistance training prescription for muscle strength and hypertrophy in healthy adults: a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis.British journal of sports medicine · 2023Pooled it
82 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
10 authors at 5 institutions in 5 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThis study aimed to analyze the effect of resistance training (RT) performed until volitional failure with low, moderate, and high loads on muscle hypertrophy and muscle strength in healthy adults and to assess the possible participant-, design-, and training-related covariates that may affect the adaptations.
methodsUsing Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science databases were searched. Including only studies that performed sets to volitional failure, the effects of low- (>15 repetitions maximum (RM)), moderate- (9-15 RM), and high-load (≤8 RM) RTs were examined in healthy adults. Network meta-analysis was undertaken to calculate the standardized mean difference (SMD) between RT loads in overall and subgroup analyses involving studies deemed of high quality. Associations between participant-, design-, and training-related covariates with SMD were assessed by univariate and multivariate network meta-regression analyses.
resultsTwenty-eight studies involving 747 healthy adults were included. Although no differences in muscle hypertrophy between RT loads were found in overall (P = 0.113-0.469) or subgroup analysis (P = 0.871-0.995), greater effects were observed in untrained participants (P = 0.033) and participants with some training background who undertook more RT sessions (P = 0.031-0.045). Muscle strength improvement was superior for both high-load and moderate-load compared with low-load RT in overall and subgroup analysis (SMD, 0.60-0.63 and 0.34-0.35, respectively; P < 0.001-0.003), with a nonsignificant but superior effect for high compared with moderate load (SMD, 0.26-0.28, P = 0.068).
conclusionsAlthough muscle hypertrophy improvements seem to be load independent, increases in muscle strength are superior in high-load RT programs. Untrained participants exhibit greater muscle hypertrophy, whereas undertaking more RT sessions provides superior gains in those with previous training experience.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.