The Influence of Visual Feedback on Neuromuscular Performance During Resistance Training in Healthy Older Adults

ABSTRACT: Calaway, C, Elkins, E, Gastaldo, R, Sarama, J, Sands, R, Lamorta, R, Conn, M, and Signorile, JF. The influence of visual feedback on neuromuscular performance during resistance training in healthy older adults. J Strength Cond Res 40(3): e305-e312, 2026-Visual feedback (VF) has shown to significantly improve strength, movement speed, and levels of motivation in athletic populations. To our knowledge, no study has examined the impact of graphical power feedback on lower- and upper-limb neuromuscular performance in healthy older adults. To determine the impact of live VF compared with that of no feedback (NoVF) on leg-press (LP) and chest-press (CP) peak power (PP) and average power (AP) using HUR (HUR Inc, Park Ridge, IL) pneumatic resistance training machines, 28 older adults (73.1 ± 6.7 years) completed 2 training sessions per week for 2 weeks separated by at least 48 hours of rest. In session 1, subjects were provided VF on the HUR tablets. During session 2, subjects were not provided with VF. Both groups completed 3 × 8 repetitions on each machine separated by 1-minute rests. Separate 2 × 2 × 3 (condition × week × set) repeated measures ANOVAs revealed condition, week, and set effects for LP-PP ( p < 0.05) showing greater power with VF (MDiff ± SE = 23.8 ± 6.8 W, +4%) and across weeks and sets. For CP-PP, a condition effect was seen ( p < 0.05), indicating greater VF performance (20.9 ± 9.7 W, +5%). Leg-press-average power and chest-press-average power both showed significance for all main effects ( p < 0.05), showing greater performance with VF (25.6-25.8 W, +4-5%) and across weeks and sets; however, power only increased from sets 1-3 for CP-AP. Graphical VF is a viable tool for optimizing neuromuscular performance in older adults. Furthermore, greater power outputs in the subsequent LP sets for both PP and AP suggest a level of neuromuscular facilitation in the lower limbs, which warrants sufficient warm-up to maximize power during training.