CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 77Sports Performance and TrainingMuscle metabolism and nutritionCardiovascular and exercise physiology

The acute and chronic effects of “NO LOAD” resistance training

Counts, Brittany R., Buckner, Samuel L., Dankel, Scott J., Jessee, Matthew B., Mattocks, Kevin T., Mouser, J. Grant, Laurentino, Gilberto C., Loenneke, Jeremy P.·2016·Physiology & Behavior
DOI 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.06.024
Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to remove the influence of an external load and determine if muscle growth can be elicited by maximally contracting through a full range of motion. In addition, the acute physiologic and perceptual responses to each stimulus were also investigated. Thirteen participants completed 18 sessions of unilateral elbow flexion exercise. Each arm was designated to either NO LOAD or HIGH LOAD condition (70% one repetition maximum). For the NO LOAD condition, participants repeatedly contracted as hard as they could through a full range of motion without the use of an external load. Our results show that anterior muscle thickness increased similarly from Pre to Post, with no differences between conditions for the 50% [Pre: 2.7 (0.8) vs. Post: 2.9 (0.7)], 60% [Pre: 2.9 (0.7) vs. Post: 3.1 (0.7)] or 70% [Pre: 3.2 (0.7) vs. Post: 3.5 (0.7)] sites. There was a significant condition×time interaction for one repetition maximum (p=0.017), with HIGH LOAD (+2.3kg) increasing more than the NO LOAD condition (+1kg). These results extend previous studies that have observed muscle growth across a range of external loads and muscle actions and suggest that muscle growth can occur independent of an external load provided there are enough muscle fibers undergoing mechanotransduction.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.06.024

Cites

5 of 5 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Counts et al. found similar increases in muscle thickness between 70% 1RM and no-load elbow flexion after a 6-week training period, leading the authors to conclude that muscle growth can occur independent of an external load provided there are enough muscle fibers undergoing mechanotransduction.

    “After the 6-week training period, similar increases in muscle thickness were observed between conditions, leading the authors to conclude that “muscle growth can occur independent of an external load provided there are enough muscle fibers undergoing mechanotransduction’’”

    From Loading recommendations for muscle strength, hypertrophy, and local endurance: a re-examination of the repetition continuum. (2021) · cites this paper as [77]

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Counts, B. R., Buckner, S. L., Dankel, S. J., Jessee, M. B., Mattocks, K. T., Mouser, J. G., Laurentino, G. C., & Loenneke, J. P.
Affiliations
University of Mississippi (US)
Corresponding author
Loenneke, Jeremy P.
ORCID
Venue
Physiology & Behavior
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2016-10
Volume
164
Issue
Pt A
Pages
345-352
ISSN
0031-9384 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.06.024
OpenAlex
W2461212384
Cited by
77
References
5
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 5
FWCI
14.60
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Physiology & Behavior (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Biolayne Foundation
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Sports Performance and Training
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Muscle metabolism and nutrition
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
Keywords
muscle hypertrophy, one-repetition maximum, external load, full range of motion, muscle thickness, mechanotransduction, acute physiological responses, perceived exertion
MeSH terms
Arm, Electromyography, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Male, Muscle Contraction, Organ Size, Physical Endurance, Time Factors, Muscle, Skeletal, Mechanotransduction, Cellular, Muscle Strength, Resistance Training, Young Adult

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review