Performance Effects of Pre-Aerobic Activity on Subsequent Resistance Training in College-Aged Student-Athletes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63750/n0508696Keywords:
Aerobic Exercise, Resistance Training, Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, Physical Exertion, Warm-Up Exercise, AthletesAbstract
This study examined the effects of pre-aerobic exercise on lower-extremity muscular strength, assessed using multiple-repetition maximum tests for the squat, Romanian deadlift (RDL), and Bulgarian split squat (BSS). Fourteen college-aged student-athletes were assigned to one of three 8-week training conditions, performed three times per week in a counterbalanced design: (1)resistance training (RT) only, (2) 10 minutes aerobic exercise followed by RT, or (3) 15 minutes aerobic exercise followed by RT. All participants completed weekly RT sessions consisting of squats, RDLs, and BSSs that progressively increased in intensity. In the aerobic conditions, participants cycled for 10 or 15 minutes on a commercial stationary bike prior to RT, using the Borg Scale to regulate exercise intensity. Significant pre- to post-testing increases in predicted 1RM were observed in the RT only condition for the squat (t = 3.61, p = 0.04), RDL (t = 3.48, p = 0.04), and BSS (t = 6.41, p = 0.007). The 10-minute aerobic exercise + RT condition also demonstrated significant improvements in squat (t = 6.89, p = 0.002), RDL (t = 4.55, p = 0.01), and BSS (t = 3.26, p = 0.03). In contrast, no significant strength increases were observed in the 15-minute aerobic exercise + RT condition. Collectively, these findings suggest that short-duration aerobic activity may serve as an effective warm-up prior to RT, whereas longer aerobic bouts (e.g., >/=15 minutes) may attenuate subsequent RT adaptations.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ryan Leto, Samantha Humphrey, Dr. Mallory S. Kobak, Dr. Michael J. Rebold (Author)
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