🧬 biology

The effects of 9-week triphasic resistance training on the lower limb strength,balance ability and 200-m sprint performance of elite female sprint canoe athletes

A 9-week triphasic resistance training program was found to be more effective than traditional strength training for enhancing lower-limb maximal strength, muscle power, and explosive strength in elite female sprint canoe athletes, although these physiological gains did not translate into significant improvements in dynamic balance or 200-m sprint performance.

Original authors: Haopeng Tang, Lili Jia, Congwan Yuan, Rui Liu, Ruisen Feng, Nianhong Li

Published 2026-09-08

📖 5 min read🧠 Deep dive

CC BY 4.0

Original authors: Haopeng Tang, Lili Jia, Congwan Yuan, Rui Liu, Ruisen Feng, Nianhong Li

Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ⚕️ This is an AI-generated explanation of a preprint that has not been peer-reviewed. It is not medical advice. Do not make health decisions based on this content. Read full disclaimer

In the world of elite sports, coaches and scientists are constantly searching for ways to squeeze out extra speed and power from the human body. For athletes who race in flatwater canoes, success depends on a complex mix of upper-body strength, core stability, and the ability to generate massive force with their legs to drive the boat forward. While traditional weightlifting has long been a staple of training, researchers have begun to look closer at how muscles are moved during these lifts. It is not just about how heavy the weight is, but the speed and rhythm of the movement. A specific method known as triphasic training breaks a single exercise into three distinct phases: a slow lowering phase, a brief pause in the middle, and a fast lifting phase. By manipulating the speed of each part, this approach aims to stress the muscles in different ways to build greater strength and explosive power. The question remains whether this specialized rhythm can actually translate into faster race times for the world's best canoeists, or if the benefits stay locked inside the gym.

A team of researchers set out to answer this question by working with twenty elite female sprint canoe athletes from China. These women, who had been training for an average of five and a half years, were divided into two groups. Both groups followed the exact same nine-week training schedule, lifting weights three times a week with the same exercises, the same number of sets, and the same amount of weight relative to their strength. The only difference was the rhythm of their movements. One group performed their lifts using a standard, steady pace. The other group followed the triphasic protocol, which required them to lower the weight very slowly, hold it still for a moment, and then lift it as fast as possible. The researchers used a digital metronome to ensure the athletes kept perfect time, treating the rhythm as a critical part of the workout just as much as the weight itself.

Before and after the nine weeks, the scientists put the athletes through a rigorous battery of tests to measure their physical changes. They checked how much weight the women could lift in a single effort for squats and deadlifts. They measured the raw power and speed of force production in the hips, knees, and ankles using a machine that could detect how quickly the muscles could generate torque. They also tested how high the athletes could jump, both with a quick dip before jumping and with a static squat, to gauge explosive power. Finally, they measured the athletes' ability to balance on one leg while reaching in different directions and timed them in a 200-meter sprint on the water.

The results revealed a clear split between what happened in the gym and what happened on the water. The group that followed the triphasic rhythm made significantly larger gains in almost every measure of strength and power compared to the group using the standard pace. They could lift heavier weights, and their leg muscles could generate force much faster. Their ability to jump higher improved, and their muscles showed a greater capacity to use the energy stored during the lowering phase of a movement to power the upward phase. In contrast, the group using the traditional steady pace saw very little change in these areas. The specialized rhythm of the triphasic training clearly acted as a more potent stimulus for building raw leg strength and explosive power in these elite athletes.

However, the story took a different turn when the researchers looked at the balance and the race times. Despite the dramatic improvements in leg strength and power, neither group showed any significant change in their dynamic balance scores. The athletes were already so skilled at maintaining their stability that the training did not push them any further in that direction. More surprisingly, the massive gains in leg power did not result in faster 200-meter sprint times. Both groups finished the race in nearly the same amount of time at the end of the study as they had at the beginning. The researchers suggest that while the legs became stronger, the ability to convert that new strength into forward speed on the water requires more than just a nine-week window. For elite athletes who have already mastered their technique, the link between building a stronger engine and driving the boat faster may take longer to forge, or it may depend on factors beyond leg strength alone, such as paddle technique and overall boat handling.

Ultimately, the study demonstrates that changing the rhythm of weightlifting can significantly boost the physical attributes of elite canoeists, making them stronger and more explosive. Yet, it also serves as a reminder that physical improvements do not always immediately translate into better race results. For these athletes, the path from a stronger leg to a faster boat is not a straight line, and the benefits of such specialized training may need more time to fully manifest in the final race time.

Technical Summary: The Effects of 9-Week Triphasic Resistance Training on Elite Female Sprint Canoe Athletes

Problem Statement
Canoe sprint is a high-intensity sport requiring the repeated generation of large propulsive forces. While traditional resistance training (TST) typically emphasizes concentric force production to enhance maximal strength and power, recent literature suggests that systematically manipulating eccentric, isometric, and concentric muscle actions may yield superior strength adaptations. Despite the known importance of lower-limb strength and postural stability in force transmission during paddling, there is a lack of comparative research on how triphasic resistance training (TRT)—which varies movement tempo to target specific contraction phases—impacts elite female sprint canoe athletes. Specifically, it remains unclear whether TRT offers advantages over TST regarding lower-limb maximal strength, muscle power, explosive strength, dynamic balance, and actual 200-m sprint performance in this population.

Methodology
The study employed a 9-week randomized controlled trial involving 20 elite female sprint canoe athletes (mean age 19.72 ± 1.45 years). Participants were randomly assigned to either a Triphasic Resistance Training (TRT) group ( $n=10$ ) or a Traditional Strength Training (TST) group ( $n=10$ ).

Intervention: Both groups performed identical lower-limb resistance exercises (including Back Squat, Front Squat, Romanian Deadlift, Hip Thrust, Bulgarian Split Squat, Leg Press, Step-up, and Walking Lunge) three times per week. The training volume, relative intensity, frequency, and rest intervals were matched between groups.
Differentiation: The sole variable was the manipulation of movement tempo. The TRT group followed a periodized protocol: Weeks 1–3 emphasized eccentric contractions (5:0:X:0 tempo), Weeks 4–6 emphasized isometric contractions (0:2:X:0 tempo), and Weeks 7–9 emphasized concentric contractions (0:0:X:0 tempo). The TST group performed all exercises using a conventional 2-0-2-0 tempo throughout the 9 weeks.
Assessments: Pre- and post-intervention testing included:
- Maximal Strength: 1RM Back Squat, 1RM Deadlift, and relative peak torque (hip, knee, ankle flexors/extensors) via isokinetic dynamometry.
- Muscle Power: Relative average power via isokinetic testing.
- Explosive Strength: Rate of Torque Development (RTD) at 50–100 ms, Countermovement Jump (CMJ) height, Squat Jump (SJ) height, and Eccentric Utilization Ratio (EUR).
- Dynamic Balance: Y-Balance Test (anterior, posteromedial, posterolateral reach).
- Performance: 200-m sprint time and average boat velocity.
Analysis: Data were analyzed using a two-way mixed ANOVA to evaluate group, time, and interaction effects.

Key Results

Lower-Limb Strength and Power: The TRT group demonstrated significantly greater improvements compared to the TST group in 1RM Back Squat, 1RM Deadlift, and relative peak torque for hip and knee flexors and extensors. Similarly, TRT yielded superior gains in relative average power and RTD (50–100 ms) across the hip, knee, and ankle joints.
Explosive Strength: The TRT group showed significant increases in CMJ height and EUR. However, no significant changes were observed in Squat Jump (SJ) height for either group.
Ankle Specificity: Notably, neither group showed significant improvements in the relative peak torque of the ankle flexors or extensors.
Balance and Performance: Neither the TRT nor the TST group exhibited significant improvements in dynamic balance (Y-Balance Test) or 200-m sprint performance (sprint time and boat velocity). Both groups maintained high baseline levels of balance with no increase in injury risk asymmetries.

Significance and Claims
The paper concludes that a 9-week triphasic resistance training program is more effective than traditional strength training for enhancing lower-limb maximal strength, muscle power, and explosive strength in elite female sprint canoe athletes. The authors attribute these superior adaptations to the phase-specific manipulation of movement tempo, which exposes athletes to distinct mechanical stimuli (eccentric, isometric, and concentric) that collectively optimize force production.

However, the authors modestly claim that these physical improvements did not translate into significant enhancements in dynamic balance or 200-m sprint performance within the 9-week timeframe. They suggest that while TRT successfully improved physical capacity, the transfer of these adaptations to sport-specific performance (paddling propulsion) may require longer periods of sport-specific technical training or neuromuscular integration. The study highlights that for elite athletes, improvements in isolated physical metrics do not automatically guarantee immediate competitive performance gains, likely due to the complex, multi-factorial nature of canoe sprinting which relies heavily on technique, upper-body capacity, and energy metabolism alongside lower-limb strength.

Limitations Noted
The authors acknowledge the small sample size, the inability to blind participants and coaches to the tempo manipulation, and the potential for Type I errors due to multiple comparisons. They also note that the lack of ankle strength adaptation may be due to the multi-joint nature of the exercises, which prioritizes hip and knee loading over isolated ankle stimulus.

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