Examining the Effect of 3/7 Strength Training Method on Various Maximal Strength, Fatigue and Body Composition Parameters

This study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of the 3/7 strength training method, a new strength training method, compared to the 4x6 strength training method. The research group consisted of a total of 32 volunteer participants. These participants were divided into 3/7 (n=11) and 4x6 (n=11) training groups and a control group (n=10) that continued their normal lives. Afterwards, people in the 3/7 and 4x6 strength training groups regularly performed strength training, which included the movements specified in the program, two days a week, with 48 hours of rest between training sessions, according to the determined program. Before the studies started and at the end of the studies, anthropometric data such as fat mass, lean mass, body weight, body fat percentage (BFP), body mass index (BMI) of the participants included in the study were measured and then, shoulder press (SP), bench press (BP) and squat (S) as maximal strength measurements; the number of repetitions in the BP, S and SP as the fatigue parameters were recorded. According to the pre-test and post-test measurement data, significant differences were observed in all parameters of the participants who applied the 3/7 protocol (p<0.05). When the pre-post test measurement data of participants who applied the 4x6 protocol were examined, significant improvements were observed in all parameters except BMI and body weight measurements (p<0.05). Regarding the results of the control group, there was a significant difference due to the increase in fat mass, body weight, BFP and BMI values, while a significance was also detected in BP and S measurements among the fatigue number of repetitions (FNR) values (p<0.05), and no significance was found in any of the remaining parameters. When the groups applying the 3/7 and 4x6 protocols were evaluated, participants applying the 3/7 protocol showed more significant improvements in the FNR-S measurement compared to the 4x6 training group (p<0.05), although there was no significant difference in all remaining values, it was observed that people in the 3/7 training group had better values. In conclusion, it was observed that the 8-week 3/7 protocol resulted in significant improvements in various body composition, fatigue and strength parameters of individuals.