ArticleFrontiers in physiology2021
Skeletal Muscle Adaptations and Performance Outcomes Following a Step and Exponential Taper in Strength Athletes.
Article in Frontiers in physiology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 2 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
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- Tapering and Peaking in the Weight Lifting Sports: A Systematic Review of Athletes' Self-Reported Strategies.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Pooled it
- Task Specificity of Dynamic Resistance Training and Its Transferability to Non-trained Isometric Muscle Strength: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2025Pooled it
- The Applied Sport Science and Medicine of Powerlifting and Para Powerlifting: A Systematic Scoping Review with Recommendations for Future Research.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2025Article
- Effects of a 5-Day Back Squat Overreaching Protocol on Strength Performance, Perceived Recovery and Wellness Responses: A Pilot Trial.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2025Article
- The Importance of Recovery in Resistance Training Microcycle Construction.Journal of human kinetics · 2024Review
- miR-378 influences muscle satellite cells and enhances adipogenic potential of fibro-adipogenic progenitors but does not affect muscle regeneration in the glycerol-induced injury model.Scientific reports · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Before major athletic events, a taper is often prescribed to facilitate recovery and enhance performance. However, it is unknown which taper model is most effective for peaking maximal strength and positively augmenting skeletal muscle. Thus, the purpose of this study was to compare performance outcomes and skeletal muscle adaptations following a step vs. an exponential taper in strength athletes. Sixteen powerlifters (24.0 ± 4.0 years, 174.4 ± 8.2 cm, 89.8 ± 21.4 kg) participated in a 6-week training program aimed at peaking maximal strength on back squat [initial 1-repetition-maximum (1RM): 174.7 ± 33.4 kg], bench press (118.5 ± 29.9 kg), and deadlift (189.9 ± 41.2 kg). Powerlifters were matched based on relative maximal strength, and randomly assigned to either (a) 1-week overreach and 1-week step taper or (b) 1-week overreach and 3-week exponential taper. Athletes were tested pre- and post-training on measures of body composition, jumping performance, isometric squat, and 1RM. Whole muscle size was assessed at the proximal, middle, and distal vastus lateralis using ultrasonography and microbiopsies at the middle vastus lateralis site. Muscle samples (
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Registered trials
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