Contributory effects of resistance and respiratory muscle training on anaerobic threshold and peak power output in collegiate women athletes

Abstract

Optimizing athletic performance depends on evidence-based strategies that enhance both physiological efficiency and physical output. Although resistance training (RT) and respiratory muscle training (RMT) independently improve athletic capacity, few studies have examined their combined effects, particularly among collegiate women athletes, who remain underrepresented in exercise science research. Guided by Selye's Adaptation Theory and the Specificity Principle, this study investigated the effects of an integrated RT and RMT program on anaerobic threshold and peak power output in collegiate female athletes. A single-group, quasiexperimental, longitudinal pretest–posttest design was used. Seven collegiate women athletes (aged 18–25 years) completed a five-week combined intervention consisting of progressive resistance exercises (squats, lunges, planks) and incentive spirometry-based inspiratory muscle training, conducted twice weekly. Anaerobic threshold was examined via the 300-yard shuttle run test, while peak power output was measured using the vertical jump test. Pretest and post-test data were examined using descriptive statistics and paired-sample t-tests (α=0.05). Participants showed a statistically significant improvement in anaerobic threshold, with mean 300-yard shuttle run completion times decreasing from 96.14±26.17 seconds at pretest to 73.37±5.12 seconds at post-test (t=2.688,p=0.036). Conversely, peak power output showed no statistically significant change, with vertical jump height increasing marginally from a pretest mean of 38.14±3.18 cm to a post-test mean of 38.71±2.50 cm (t=0.573,p=0.587). These data suggest that a five-week combined RT and RMT program enhances anaerobic capacity and fatigue tolerance in collegiate women athletes, likely by improving ventilatory efficiency and delaying the respiratory muscle metaboreflex. However, five weeks of integrated training is insufficient to produce significant neuromuscular adaptations for maximal explosive power. Conditioning coaches should incorporate RMT to build anaerobic endurance, but combine it with longer-duration (≥8 weeks) power-specific modalities (e.g., plyometrics) to optimize peak power production.