Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41579183›Full record

ReviewEuropean journal of applied physiology2026

Rethinking task failure in resistance training research: a framework for submaximal exercise prescription.

William B Hammert, Enrique N Moreno, Robert W Sallberg, Yujiro Yamada, Emily E Metcalf, Evan W Young, Ryo Kataoka, Jeremy P Loenneke

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in European journal of applied physiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

8 authors.

William B HammertDepartment of Health, Exercise Science, and Recreation Management, Kevser Ermin Applied Physiology Laboratory, The University of Mississippi, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS, 38677, USA.
Enrique N MorenoDepartment of Health, Exercise Science, and Recreation Management, Kevser Ermin Applied Physiology Laboratory, The University of Mississippi, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS, 38677, USA.
Robert W SallbergDepartment of Health, Exercise Science, and Recreation Management, Kevser Ermin Applied Physiology Laboratory, The University of Mississippi, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS, 38677, USA.
Yujiro YamadaDepartment of Health, Exercise Science, and Recreation Management, Kevser Ermin Applied Physiology Laboratory, The University of Mississippi, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS, 38677, USA.
Emily E MetcalfDepartment of Health, Exercise Science, and Recreation Management, Kevser Ermin Applied Physiology Laboratory, The University of Mississippi, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS, 38677, USA.
Evan W YoungDepartment of Health, Exercise Science, and Recreation Management, Kevser Ermin Applied Physiology Laboratory, The University of Mississippi, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS, 38677, USA.
Ryo KataokaSchool of Kinesiology and Nutrition. Applied Physiology Laboratory, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA.
Jeremy P LoennekeDepartment of Health, Exercise Science, and Recreation Management, Kevser Ermin Applied Physiology Laboratory, The University of Mississippi, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS, 38677, USA. jploenne@olemiss.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5409-9075

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Resistance exercise performed to task failure is often prescribed in muscle growth research to standardize effort and minimize between-participant variability. While effective for eliciting robust hypertrophic responses, this approach may also obscure meaningful differences attributable to manipulation of specific training variables, thereby reducing experimental sensitivity. The present perspective outlines a conceptual framework for implementing submaximal resistance exercise prescriptions to enhance methodological precision when investigating skeletal muscle growth. We discuss the potential limitations of task failure designs, emphasizing how maximal effort protocols can saturate muscle growth responses and constrain interpretability. We then provide a few considerations for applying submaximal models, including standardized pre-testing to determine individual maximum repetition capacities and strategies for exercise prescription and progression that maintain a submaximal intent. Important design factors include the selection of proximity to task failure, the choice between absolute (fixed offset from failure) and relative (percentage of maximal repetitions) frameworks, and the development of progression strategies. It is our opinion that anchoring training prescriptions to empirically derived pre-testing data will improve reproducibility, preserve between-group differences, and enhance the interpretability of muscle growth outcomes. Submaximal exercise prescriptions may thus offer a methodological foundation for advancing experimental design in resistance training research and refining our understanding of how specific training variables influence skeletal muscle growth adaptations.

Indexed as

Muscle, SkeletalResistance TrainingHumansExercise prescriptionExperimental designMethodological sensitivitySkeletal muscle growthSubmaximal resistance trainingTask failure

Identifiers

PMID41579183
PMCPMC13171636

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.