Muscular Adaptations Between Very Low Load Resistance Training With Pulsed Direct Current Stimulation (Neubie) and Traditional High Load Training.

William B Hammert, Enrique N Moreno, Ecaterina Vasenina, Samuel L Buckner

Open access · greenAbstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Journal of musculoskeletal & neuronal interactions, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it

2.0field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

Non-Specific Strength Changes Between High- and Low-Load Isotonic Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026
Pooled it
Increasing set volume relative to baseline does not augment skeletal muscle adaptations when compared to maintenance of baseline training volume in recreationally trained individuals.European journal of applied physiology · 2025
Trial
An Open-Label Comparative Study of the Impact of Two Types of Electrical Stimulation (Direct Current Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation and Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation) on Physical Therapy Treatment of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy.Journal of diabetes research · 2025
Trial
Analytical approaches to account for muscle size when evaluating strength.European journal of applied physiology · 2026
Review
Methods and Systems of Resistance Training: A Narrative Review Based on Contemporary Recommendations.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
Review

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

William B HammertUSF Muscle Lab, Exercise Science Program, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.

Enrique N MorenoUSF Muscle Lab, Exercise Science Program, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.

Ecaterina VaseninaUSF Muscle Lab, Exercise Science Program, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.

Samuel L BucknerUSF Muscle Lab, Exercise Science Program, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.

University of South Florida · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThis study compared muscle growth in response to very low load resistance training with direct pulsed current (DPC) stimulation and traditional high load training.

methodsTwenty-six resistance trained individuals had each leg assigned to one of two unilateral knee extension protocols: 1) 4 sets of 20 repetitions at ~10% one-repetition maximum (1RM) and inter-set rest periods of 30 s (DPC) and 2) 4 sets to muscular failure at ~70% 1RM (TRAD). Muscle thickness (MTH), 1RM strength, and local muscular endurance (LME) were measured before and after 8-weeks of training. An alpha level of 0.05 was used for all comparisons.

resultsMTH increased similarly between TRAD and DPC at the 50% (0.24 cm, 95%CI: 0.11-0.36), and the 60% anterior sites (0.25 cm, 95%CI: 0.10-.040), as well as the lateral (0.25 cm, 95%CI: 0.10-.040) and medial sites (0.21 cm, 95%CI: 0.10-0.31), but was greater for TRAD at the 40% anterior site (0.3 cm, 95%CI: 0.16-0.43). Changes in 1RM were greater for TRAD (10.2 kg, 95%CI: 5.8-14.4). LME increased similarly between protocols (5 repetitions, 95%CI: 3-7).

conclusionsThe current data suggest that very low load knee extension resistance training with DPC could be a viable training strategy for promoting skeletal muscle growth and local muscular endurance.

Indexed as

Muscle, SkeletalResistance TrainingHumansKnee JointMuscle StrengthDirect Pulsed CurrentHigh Load TrainingResistance trainingVery Low Load Training

Identifiers

PMID38037356

PMCPMC10696367

OpenAlexW4389244585

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

LicenceCC BY-NC-SA

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.