Squat study finds no consistent advantage from feedback or encouragement
In an eight-week study of 40 male university students, real-time feedback and verbal encouragement did not consistently improve squat strength more than training without external stimulus. Power results varied by load, with different groups outperforming football training at 20 and 30 kilograms.
Published November 2 in Sports, the study compared real-time quantitative feedback and verbal encouragement with squat training without external stimulus over eight weeks. It enrolled 40 male university students in four groups of 10; three groups completed the same Smith machine squat program, while the comparison group trained football.1
Squat one-repetition maximum increased over time, but changes did not differ significantly among the four groups. Power results depended on test load: at 20 kilograms, the feedback group improved more than the football group, while at 30 kilograms the no-stimulus group improved more than the football group.1
At 40 kilograms, the group-by-time interaction was not significant, and the researchers said feedback or encouragement did not consistently outperform resistance training without external stimulation. For trainers weighing whether to use these cues in squat sessions, the findings showed no reliable extra benefit in this small sample of young men.1
