Traditional Versus Cluster Resistance Training in Striking Combat Sport Athletes (TRG-CLG)

Effects of Traditional and Cluster Resistance Training Using Four Multi-Joint Exercises on Neuromuscular Performance in Striking Combat Sport Athletes

This randomized controlled trial compared the effects of traditional and cluster resistance training on neuromuscular performance in amateur striking combat sport athletes. Twenty-eight athletes completed a 6-week full-body resistance training program including squat, bench press, deadlift, and bench pull exercises. Participants were assigned to either a traditional training group, which performed repetitions continuously, or a cluster training group, which incorporated short intra-set rest periods. Neuromuscular performance was assessed before and after the intervention through countermovement jump height, medicine-ball throw distance, and load-velocity relationship variables obtained from the four resistance exercises. The study aimed to determine whether cluster resistance training provides superior neuromuscular adaptations compared with traditional resistance training when training volume and relative intensity are matched.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Resistance Training
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Traditional; Behavioral: Cluster

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 32
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Chile
  • Concepción, Chile
    • Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy men and women aged 18 years or older. Active participation in striking combat sports (boxing, kickboxing, or karate) for at least 3 years.
• Minimum of 1 year of experience with the resistance exercises included in the study (squat, bench press, deadlift, and bench pull).
• Willingness to refrain from participating in additional strength training programs during the study period.
• Provision of written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Presence of any musculoskeletal injury during the 6 months preceding data collection.
• Any medical condition that could contraindicate participation in resistance training.
• Failure to complete the training intervention or testing procedures.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Traditional; Participants performed a 6-week full-body resistance training program consisting of squat, bench press, deadlift, and bench pull exercises. Training was conducted twice per week and included 3 sets of 8 repetitions at 75% of the individual one-repetition maximum (1RM) for each exercise. Participants completed all repetitions consecutively within each set without intra-set rest periods. Inter-set rest intervals were 3 minutes and inter-exercise rest intervals were 5 minutes.	Behavioral: Traditional; Participants completed a 6-week full-body resistance training program consisting of squat, bench press, deadlift, and bench pull exercises. Training was performed twice weekly and included 3 sets of 8 repetitions at 75% of the individual one-repetition maximum (1RM) for each exercise. All repetitions within a set were performed consecutively without intra-set rest periods. Participants were instructed to execute the concentric phase of each repetition with maximal intended velocity.
Experimental: Cluster; Participants performed the same 6-week full-body resistance training program as the traditional training group, consisting of squat, bench press, deadlift, and bench pull exercises performed twice per week. Training included 3 sets of 8 repetitions at 75% of the individual one-repetition maximum (1RM) for each exercise. The repetitions were organized into clusters of two repetitions separated by 15-second intra-set rest intervals (2 + 2 + 2 + 2 repetitions). Inter-set rest intervals were 3 minutes and inter-exercise rest intervals were 5 minutes.	Behavioral: Cluster; Participants completed a 6-week full-body resistance training program consisting of squat, bench press, deadlift, and bench pull exercises. Training was performed twice weekly and included 3 sets of 8 repetitions at 75% of the individual one-repetition maximum (1RM) for each exercise. Repetitions were organized into clusters of two repetitions separated by 15-second intra-set rest intervals (2 + 2 + 2 + 2 repetitions). Participants were instructed to execute the concentric phase of each repetition with maximal intended velocity.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Load-velocity relationship (LVR).	Individual LVR were determined for the squat, bench press, and bench pull exercises using a Smith machine (FFittech, Taiwan, China), whereas the deadlift exercise was performed with a hexagonal barbell. Each test started with an initial external load of 20 kg, which was progressively increased until the mean velocity (MV) of the fastest repetition differed by less than 0.30 m·s-1 from the theoretical MV associated with the 1RM of each exercise (0.30 m/s for squat, 0.15 m/s for deadlift, 0.17 m/s for bench press, and 0.50 m/s for bench pull) (Weakley et al., 2021). The load increments were adjusted according to the exercise and movement velocity to ensure an appropriate distribution of loads across the individual force-velocity spectrum. Three repetitions were performed at lighter loads, whereas only two repetitions were completed at heavier loads. A standardized rest interval of 10 seconds was provided between repetitions at the same load.	Baseline and after 6 weeks of resistance training

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Countermovement jump	Participants completed three CMJ attempts with a 1-minute recovery period between trials. From a standing position with feet approximately shoulder-width apart and hands placed on the hips, participants performed a rapid countermovement to a self-selected depth and immediately executed a maximal vertical jump. Jump height was estimated from flight time using the equation: height = (flight time2 × 9.81 m·s-2) / 8, where 9.81 m·s-2 corresponds to gravitational acceleration. Flight time was recorded using an infrared optical measurement system (OptoJump, Microgate, Bolzano, Italy). Participants were instructed to maintain their hands on the hips during the entire movement and to land with the lower limbs fully extended. Trials not complying with these technical requirements were discarded and repeated after 1 minute of rest under the supervision of the same experienced evaluator. The best performance obtained across the three trials was retained for subsequent analyses.	Baseline and after 6 weeks of resistance training
Medicine ball throw (MBT).	Upper-body explosive performance was evaluated using a seated MBT test performed with a 3-kg medicine ball. Testing was conducted indoors on a hardwood surface. Participants sat behind a marked line with both feet in contact with the floor and executed a single-arm forward chest-pass action from a stable seated position. Throws were performed separately with the dominant and non-dominant arms, using a coordinated movement involving the trunk and upper-limb musculature. Throwing distance was determined as the linear distance between the starting line and the first point of ball contact with the floor, measured with a tape measure. Three maximal attempts were completed with each arm, with 1 minute of recovery between trials. The greatest distance achieved with each arm was retained for subsequent statistical analyses.	Baseline and after 6 weeks of resistance training

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Universidad de Granada

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 4, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 6, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): March 6, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 11, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 11, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): June 17, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 17, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 11, 2026
• Last Verified: June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: strength training; sport performance; velocity-based training; set configuration
• Other Study ID Numbers: UGR-TRG-CLG-2024; 25KJA180002 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Major Project of Basic Science (Natural Science) Research in Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No