TABLE 3.
Performance, body composition, and muscle morphometry.
| Pre-training (T1) |
Post-taper (T2) |
|||||
| Combined groups | Step-taper group | Exponential-taper group | Combined groups | Step-taper group | Exponential-taper group | |
| Performance | ||||||
| 1RM back squat (kg) | 174.7 ± 33.4 | 175.3 ± 33.8 | 174.1 ± 35.3 | 192.3 ± 38.2** | 190.2 ± 43.1* | 194.5 ± 35.5** |
| 1RM bench press (kg) | 118.5 ± 29.9 | 122.2 ± 31.3 | 114.8 ± 29.9 | 130.8 ± 32.8** | 135.4 ± 34.5** | 126.3 ± 32.8** |
| 1RM deadlift (kg) | 189.8 ± 41.2 | 189.4 ± 47.0 | 190.1 ± 37.8 | 199.5 ± 45.6* | 192.3 ± 55.0 | 206.6 ± 36.1* |
| Total (kg) | 483.0 ± 97.9 | 486.9 ± 108.0 | 479.0 ± 94.1 | 522.6 ± 109.5** | 517.9 ± 127.5* | 527.3 ± 96.8** |
| Wilks Score (au) | 328.3 ± 46.8 | 328.9 ± 44.2 | 327.7 ± 52.4 | 353.4 ± 53.7** | 347.8 ± 55.7∗ | 359.1 ± 54.7** |
| IPFa (N) | 125.6 ± 14.4 | 122.7 ± 14.3 | 128.5 ± 14.8 | 128.2 ± 15.7 | 125.3 ± 18.5 | 131.0 ± 13.1 |
| SJH (cm) | 31.0 ± 8.8 | 30.9 ± 11.2 | 31.1 ± 6.4 | 32.1 ± 7.6 | 31.8 ± 10.1 | 32.4 ± 4.5 |
| SJPPa (W) | 220.1 ± 38.3 | 222.8 ± 49.9 | 217.4 ± 25.3 | 234.8 ± 33.7 | 231.8 ± 44.4 | 237.9 ± 20.8 |
| Body composition | ||||||
| Body mass (kg) | 89.8 ± 21.4 | 88.6 ± 19.0 | 91.1 ± 24.9 | 91.4 ± 22.3* | 90.2 ± 20.0* | 92.5 ± 25.7* |
| Fat mass (kg) | 23.2 ± 13.3 | 21.9 ± 11.7 | 24.4 ± 15.4 | 24.0 ± 12.9 | 22.9 ± 11.4 | 25.1 ± 14.9 |
| Skeletal muscle mass (kg) | 33.8 ± 6.4 | 33.8 ± 5.9 | 33.9 ± 7.2 | 34.2 ± 6.5 | 34.0 ± 6.1 | 34.4 ± 7.3 |
| Fat mass index (kg/m2) | 7.6 ± 4.4 | 7.2 ± 3.8 | 8.0 ± 5.1 | 7.9 ± 4.2 | 7.5 ± 3.7 | 8.2 ± 5.0 |
| Fat free mass index (kg/m2) | 21.8 ± 2.6 | 21.9 ± 2.6 | 21.7 ± 2.8 | 22.1 ± 2.8 | 22.1 ± 2.8 | 22.0 ± 7.2 |
| Total body water (I) | 49.1 ± 8.4 | 49.1 ± 7.7 | 49.1 ± 9.5 | 49.6 ± 8.8 | 49.6 ± 8.0 | 49.6 ± 10.0 |
| Extracellular water (I) | 19.3 ± 3.3 | 19.3 ± 3.0 | 19.3 ± 3.8 | 19.4 ± 3.5 | 19.5 ± 3.1 | 19.4 ± 4.2 |
| Muscle morphometry | ||||||
| mCSAproximal (cm2) | 45.7 ± 5.1 | 46.2 ± 5.2 | 45.3 ± 5.2 | 46.4 ± 4.6 | 47.0 ± 5.0 | 45.7 ± 4.3 |
| mCSAmedial (cm2) | 43.7 ± 4.6 | 42.9 ± 5.2 | 44.6 ± 4.1 | 44.8 ± 4.4 | 44.3 ± 5.2 | 45.3 ± 3.6 |
| mCSAdistal (cm2) | 37.5 ± 5.2 | 37.6 ± 5.2 | 37.3 ± 5.6 | 38.1 ± 5.3 | 38.4 ± 4.8 | 37.7 ± 6.1 |
| fCSA MHC-I (μm2) | 6831.6 ± 730.2 | 6557.7 ± 802.5 | 7066.4 ± 624.9 | 7160.7 ± 682.6 | 6764.9 ± 788.9 | 7500.0 ± 349.7 |
| fCSA MHC-IIA (μm2) | 7461.3 ± 728.4 | 7268.5 ± 974.5 | 7626.8 ± 447.9 | 7890.9 ± 560.9 | 8169.7 ± 575.9 | 7651.9 ± 456.6 |
*p < 0.05; **p < 0.001 denote significant difference from pre- (T1) to post-training (T2).
1RM = 1-repetition-maximum; IPFa = isometric peak force allometrically scaled to body mass; SJH = squat jump height; SJPPa = squat jump peak power allometrically scaled to body; mCSA = whole muscle cross-sectional area; fCSA = muscle fiber cross-sectional area proximal = cross-sectional area at proximal vastus lateralis; medial = cross-sectional area middle vastus lateralis; distal = cross-sectional area distal vastus lateralis; MHC-I = myosin-heavy chain I isoform; MHC-IIA = myosin-heavy chain IIA isoform.