Effects of Resistance Training on Physical Fitness in Healthy Children and Adolescents: An Umbrella Review

Methodology

Evidence overview

Population

14 meta-analyses covering healthy children and adolescents aged 6-18 y; on average ~28 primary studies and ~847 participants per included meta-analysis

Intervention

Resistance training programmes (including plyometric and combined modalities in some included reviews) vs. control

Findings

Resistance training consistently improves muscular strength and, to a smaller degree, muscle power and other fitness components in healthy youth aged 6-18 y, confirmed across 14 meta-analyses, though highlighting persistent methodological weaknesses and overlapping primary studies.

Outcome measures

Muscle strength, muscle power/vertical jump, linear sprint speed, agility, muscular endurance, body composition, sport-specific performance

Limitations

Substantial overlap of primary studies across the 14 included meta-analyses inflates apparent evidence volume; quality of the underlying primary trials is generally low-to-moderate; heterogeneity in RT definitions across reviews; healthy youth only.

Original source

DOI: 10.1007/s40279-020-01327-3 · PMID: 32757164