Muscle power and muscle hypertrophy of the lower limbs among practitioners of functional fitness training and strength training.

Purpose: The practice of Functional Fitness Training (FFT) combines aerobic and muscle strength exercises that can lead to adaptations different from those observed with the isolated practice of Strength Training (ST). Thus, this study aimed to compare lower limb power and hypertrophy in different muscle portions between FFT and ST practitioners. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, men experienced (≥2 years) in FFT (n = 8; 27 ± 4.6 years) and ST (n = 8; 29.13 ± 6.12 years) participated. Additionally, physically active men were recruited for the control group (n = 8; 25 ± 8.24 years). For muscle power, jump height and peak power output (PPO) normalized by body mass were evaluated, and for hypertrophy, the cross-sectional area (CSA) was evaluated in 4 different portions of the vastus lateralis with the aid of B-mode ultrasound. Results: It was observed that the CSA did not differ between the FFT and ST groups, and showed higher values in relation to the control group. Jump height was higher (p = 0.003) for the FFT group (53.5 ± 2.4 cm) compared to the control group (45.7 ± 3.6 cm), and did not differ in relation to the ST group (50.8 ± 5.7 cm; p = 0.058). PPO showed no statistical difference (p = 0.39) between groups (control, 50.5 ± 6 W kg−1; FFT, 54.1 ± 5.8 W kg−1; ST, 50.6 ± 5.6 W kg−1). Conclusion: Vastus lateralis hypertrophy does not differ between men experienced in FFT and ST. The practice of these training methods does not seem to differ in relation to muscular power, although there are indications that those of FFT perform better than those of ST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]