Inconsistent Use of Resistance Exercise Names in Research Articles: A Brief Note

Nuzzo, JL. Inconsistent use of resistance exercise names in research articles: a brief note. J Strength Cond Res 35(12): 3518-3520, 2021-Academic fields require standard nomenclature to communicate concepts effectively. Previous research has documented resistance training exercises are named inconsistently. This inconsistent use has been observed among fitness professionals and within resistance training textbooks. The purpose of the current note was to explore inconsistent use of resistance training exercise names in scientific articles. Keyword searches were performed in PubMed to identify articles that referred to 4 different resistance training exercises. The search was limited to titles and abstracts of articles published between 1960 and 2020. For exercise 1, shoulder press, overhead press, and military press were searched. For exercise 2, arm curl, bicep curl, and biceps curl were searched. For exercise 3, hamstring curl, leg curl, and knee curl were searched. For exercise 4, calf raise and heel raise were searched. For exercise 1, 114 articles included shoulder press in their title or abstract, 42 articles included overhead press, and 45 articles included military press. For exercise 2, 244 articles included arm curl, 37 articles included bicep curl, and 177 articles included biceps curl. For exercise 3, 24 articles included hamstring curl, 159 articles included leg curl, and 7 articles included knee curl. For exercise 4, 68 articles included calf raise and 154 articles included heel raise. The results are evidence of inconsistent use of resistance training exercise names in scientific articles. A possible solution to inconsistent use of exercise names in research articles, educational texts, and clinical practice is a system that includes a standard exercise naming pattern and guidelines for communicating exercise names.

Automated summary

The study addresses the inconsistent use of resistance training exercise names in scientific articles, finding variability in naming conventions across different publications. It suggests the implementation of a standardized exercise naming pattern and communication guidelines in research articles, educational texts, and clinical practice to improve consistency and clarity.