Undulating, Serial, and Maximal Strength Training Boost Performance in Young Weightlifters, Hormones Unchanged

Olympic weightlifting demands exceptional force production, refined technical skill, and precise intermuscular coordination, making effective training crucial for athlete development. For adolescent athletes, optimizing strength training methods is vital not only for performance gains but also for healthy physiological adaptation. Current standard-of-care training often lacks specific, evidence-based guidance on which modalities best enhance performance and modulate hormonal responses like growth hormone (GH), IGF-1, and testosterone (TT), which are key for growth and adaptation. Understanding how different strength training approaches impact these parameters can inform more effective and safer long-term athletic development strategies.

This randomized controlled trial enrolled 32 male weightlifters (ages 16.9-17.6 years) and assigned them to one of four groups: undulating strength training (UG), serial strength training (SG), maximal strength training (MG), or a control group (CG). The three experimental groups underwent sport-specific strength training five days per week for eight weeks. Performance was assessed using one-repetition maximum (1RM) tests for the snatch and clean & jerk lifts, while anaerobic power was measured via the vertical jump test. Hormonal parameters, including growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), total testosterone (TT), insulin (INS), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), were quantified using a chemiluminescent autoanalyzer.