The Effects of Different Rest Interval Lengths on Acute Quarter-squat Performance in Female

Abstract

The inclusion of resistance training in the athletic preparation of young athletes is associated with increased time and personal demands. This study compared the effect of different rest interval (RI) lengths on quarter-squat performance in two age groups. Sixteen girls (age 12.20 ± 0.55) and 16 women (age 23.13 ± 2.23) performed three series of 10 quarter squats (10 repetition maximum [RM] load) with different RI times (1 min, 2 min, 3 min) between the three series. Each participant was randomly tested under all the RI conditions. The number of successful repetitions, power, and speed were recorded for each set using by FitroDyne device. The women completed significantly less repetitions in the third set than in the first set for the 2-min and 1-min RIs (9.38 ± 1.54, p = .05 and 8.44 ± 2.42; p = .003, respectively). There was observed a significant decrease in mean power and speed in the 3-min RI between the first and second set and in the 1-min RI between the first and third sets.  No significant differences in numbers of completed repetitions and mean power were evident in girls for any RI condition, but there was a significant decrease in mean velocity in the 2-min RI between the first and second sets in this group. These results show that recommendations for adults may be not suitable for girls; the girls’ performance in three sets of 10 quarter squats was less affected by RI than the women’s performance.