The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of 16 weeks of resistance training (RT) on muscular strength in previously untrained women (18-30 years). Participants were randomly divided in two groups: training (TG = 15) and control (CG= 16). The RT protocol was progressively structured in two phases (eight weeks each), with a frequency of three weekly sessions. Muscular strength was measured at baseline (M1), after eight (M2) and 16 weeks (M3), through the 1-RM in bench press (BP), squat (SQ) and arm curl (AC). Interaction between group and time (P<0.001) were identified in all exercises evaluated with strength gains in the order of 22.9% (BP), 23.6% (SQ) and 22.8% (AC) in the TG, and the most occurred between M1-M2 (BP=18.4%; SQ=16.0%; AC=14.7%). The results suggest that 16 weeks of RT cause generalized muscle strength gains in untrained women.
Muscle strength; Resistance training; Physiological adaptations
