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Perceptions vs. actual effort of trainee and trainer during forced repetitions.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51224/SRXIV.506Keywords:
forced repetitions, assisted repetitions, bench press, perceived effortAbstract
Forced repetitions are an advanced overload training technique theorized to augment potential mechanisms for muscular adaptation. The aim of the present study was to investigate perceptions of assistance by trainers and trainees in comparison to actual assistance for forced repetitions for the bench press exercise. Forty-three (female=9, male=34) trained participants were recruited and randomly assigned roles as both trainer and trainee on testing days and partnered with one another. Participant trainees completed as many repetitions as possible with a 10-12RM and upon reaching the point of momentary failure, a spotter assisted the trainee with only sufficient force to allow two more complete repetitions. Participant trainees provided assistance through use of a digital weight scale attached to the bar to measure the exact force provided. Immediately after the forced repetitions the trainer and trainee were asked independently as to how much (%) assistance was provided for each of the forced repetitions. Inferential statistics were treated as highly unstable local descriptions of the relations between model assumptions and data. For all analyses we opted to avoid dichotomising the existence of effects and therefore did not employ traditional null hypothesis significance testing. Instead, we opted to take an estimation-based approach within a Bayesian framework. For all analyses model parameter estimates and their precision, along with conclusions based upon them, were interpreted continuously and probabilistically, considering data quality, plausibility of effect, and previous literature. Results revealed a large heterogeneity in the perceptions of assistance provided between both trainers and trainees compared to actual assistance provided. However, consistently, trainers and trainees perceived the assistance provided to be greater than the actual level of assistance. This disparity was most evident in the first compared to the second forced repetition. Furthermore, the spotters were better than the trainees in their perception of assistance of load.
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