Dr. Ulloa-Diaz, David

The overhead throw is a fundamental technical-tactical ability for overhead sports. The purposes of this review are to assess the effect of resistance training (RT) in enhancing throwing velocity in athletes and to investigate the relationships between age or gender in this effect. Control group trials were identified through looking up electronic databases with a search span of 10th December 2020. Only studies which have control groups within research design, subjects randomly assigned to groups, healthy athletes with experience in the sport, an intervention consisting of a supervised RT program of a minimum duration of 4 weeks, and assessment of sport-specific throwing velocity were taken into account for this meta-analysis. A total of 16 studies with 424 subjects were deemed eligible per the inclusion criteria. The overall pooled analysis demonstrated that a large effect was observed for throwing velocity outcomes (ES 1.10; 95% CI 0.64–1.57; p < 0.00001). Differences were due to gender, with male (ES 1.12; 95% CI 0.55–1.78; p < 0.0001) and female athletes (ES 1.22; 95% CI 0.25–2.20; p < 0.00001). And due to age, with teenager athletes (ES 0.49; 95% CI -0.18–1.17; p = 0.04) and adult athletes (ES 1.34; 95% CI 0.64–1.92; p < 0.00001). Throwing velocity enhancement after RT was greater for women than for men, and for adults more than underage subjects. RT should last at least four weeks, with 2–3 sessions each week, and with any available implement.

This study examined the reliability and validity of three methods of estimating the one-repetition maximum (1RM) during the free-weight prone bench pull exercise. Twenty-six men (22 rowers and four weightlifters) performed an incremental loading test until reaching their 1RM, followed by a set of repetitions-to-failure. Eighteen participants were re-tested to conduct the reliability analysis. The 1RM was estimated through the lifts-to-failure equations proposed by Lombardi and O'Connor, general load-velocity (L-V) relationships proposed by Sánchez-Medina and Loturco and the individual L-V relationships modelled using four (multiple-point method) or only two loads (two-point method). The direct method provided the highest reliability (coefficient of variation [CV] = 2.45% and intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.97), followed by the Lombardi's equation (CV = 3.44% and ICC = 0.94), and no meaningful differences were observed between the remaining methods (CV range = 4.95-6.89% and ICC range = 0.81-0.91). The lifts-to-failure equations overestimated the 1RM (3.43-4.08%), the general L-V relationship proposed by Sánchez-Medina underestimated the 1RM (-3.77%), and no significant differences were observed for the remaining prediction methods (-0.40-0.86%). The individual L-V relationship could be recommended as the most accurate method for predicting the 1RM during the free-weight prone bench pull exercise.