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Objectives: The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine the effect of flywheel (FW) resistance training with Eccentric Overload (FW-EOT) on muscle size and functional capacities (i.e. strength and power) in athletes and healthy subjects, and to compare FW-induced adaptations with those triggered by traditional resistance exercise interventions. Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Methods: A search of electronic databases [PubMed, MEDLINE (SportDiscus), Web of Science, Scopus and PEDro] was conducted to identify all publications employing FW-EOT up to April 30, 2016. Outcomes were analyzed as continuous outcomes using a random effects model to calculate a standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% CI. A total of 9 studies with 276 subjects and 92 effect sizes met the inclusion criteria and were included in the statistical analyses. Results: The overall pooled estimate from the main effects analysis was 0.63 (95% CI 0.49-0.76) with a significant (p < 0.001) Z overall effect of 9.17. No significant heterogeneity (p value = 0.78) was found. The meta-analysis showed significant differences between FW-EOT vs. conventional resistance training in concentric and eccentric strength, muscle power, muscle hypertrophy, vertical jump height and running speed, favoring FW-EOT. Conclusions: This meta-analysis provides evidence supporting the superiority of FW-EOT, compared with traditional weight-stack exercise, to promote skeletal muscle adaptations in terms of strength, power and size in healthy subjects and athletes.
© Copyright 2017 Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. Elsevier. All rights reserved.