The Effects of Augmented Feedback and Encouragement During High-Velocity Resistance Training on Performance, Fatigue, and Function in Older Adults

ABSTRACT: Nicholson, VP, Cowley, N, and Weakley, J. The effects of augmented feedback and encouragement during high-velocity resistance training on performance, fatigue, and function in older adults. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2025-This study aimed to assess whether kinematic feedback and verbal encouragement enhance movement velocity, motivation, perceived exertion, and physical performance in older adults within session. Fourteen older adults (9 females) with resistance training experience participated in a randomized cross-over trial. After baseline testing, subjects attended 4 resistance training sessions where they completed 3 sets of 10 repetitions on the leg press and bench press at 60% of their 3-repetition maximum. During each training session, subjects were exposed to one of 4 conditions-control (no feedback), visual kinematic feedback, verbal kinematic feedback, or verbal encouragement. The influence of training condition on mean concentric velocity (MCV), motivation, perceived exertion, functional performance, post 24-hour muscle soreness, and fatigue were assessed using a linear mixed model. For leg press, session MCV was significantly ( p < 0.05) higher for all experimental conditions compared with the control condition with effect sizes ranging from 0.16 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04-0.27) for verbal encouragement to 0.21 (95% CI 0.09-0.33) for visual and verbal kinematic feedback. For bench press, session MCV was significantly ( p < 0.05) higher for verbal kinematic feedback (ES = 0.20, 95% CI 0.10-0.30) and verbal encouragement (ES = 0.27, 95% CI 0.17-0.37) conditions compared with the control condition. Motivation, perceived exertion, functional performance, muscle soreness, and fatigue were not influenced by the improved movement velocity. These findings demonstrate that kinematic feedback and verbal encouragement can enhance resistance training quality in older adults, without impacting subsequent muscle soreness and function or perceptions of fatigue.