Two vs. One Resistance Exercise Sessions in One Day: Acute Effects on Recovery and Performance.

The purpose of this study was to compare the recovery response of one resistance training session (1TRS) vs. two resistance training sessions (2TRS) performed in 1 day, on upper body performance, muscle morphology and muscle soreness in trained men. Twenty-four resistance trained men were randomly assigned into a 1TRS group ( = 12; age = 25.0 ± 2.4 years; body mass = 87.6 ± 14.0 kg; height = 177.1 ± 4.9 cm) or into a 2TRS group ( = 10; age = 24.4 ± 1.6 years; body mass = 81.1 ± 5.6 kg; height = 176.6 ± 6.7 cm). 1TRS performed one training session involving eight sets of 10 reps at 70% of 1RM at the bench press, while 2TRS group divided the same training volume in two workouts, with a recovery time of 4 hr. Performance [bench press throw power (BTP) and isometric bench press (IBP)] and muscle thickness of pectoralis major (PECMT) were assessed at baseline (BL), 15-min, 24-hr and 48-hr post-exercise. Training intensity was significantly higher in 2TRS compared to 1TRS ( < .001). Faster recovery rates were detected for BTP ( = .039) and PECMT ( = .05) in 2TRS compared to 1TRS. Both BTP and PECMT were significantly more affected ( < .05) in 1TRS than in 2TRS at 24 h. Results indicate that the recovery process may be accelerated by splitting a high resistance training volume into two different training sessions performed in 1 day.