{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T18:04:49Z","timestamp":1785175489279,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785110400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"\n Objective<\/jats:title>\n This study aims to investigate the impact of 8-week squat training with different eccentric contraction tempos on maximal squat strength, jump height, and sprint performance among university students majoring in sports training.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n Thirty participants were randomly assigned to either the 4\/0\/X\/0 group, the 2\/0\/X\/0, or the self-selected eccentric, isometric and inter-repetition tempo group (V\/V\/X\/V), performing tempo-specific loaded squat training twice weekly for 8 weeks. Maximal squat strength, 30-meter sprint performance, countermovement jump (CMJ), and squat jump (SJ) heights were assessed before and after the intervention. A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA and effect size analysis were used to evaluate the training outcomes.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n 1) For maximal squat strength, no statistically significant inter-group difference was detected (P\u2009>\u20090.05). All three groups exhibited significant within-group improvements relative to baseline (P\u2009<\u20090.05 to P\u2009<\u20090.01). Descriptive effect size analysis showed the magnitude of improvement ranked as follows: 2\/0\/X\/0 group (ES\u2009=\u20091.45)> V\/V\/X\/V group (ES\u2009=\u20090.85)> 4\/0\/X\/0 group (ES\u2009=\u20090.64). 2) For CMJ height, both the 2\/0\/X\/0 and V\/V\/X\/V groups showed significant improvement compared to pre-intervention (P\u2009<\u20090.05), while the 4\/0\/X\/0 group exhibited a significant decrease (P\u2009<\u20090.01). ES magnitudes followed the order: 2\/0\/X\/0 group (ES\u2009=\u20091.07) > V\/V\/X\/V group (ES\u2009=\u20090.30) > 4\/0\/X\/0 group (ES\u2009=\u2009\u22120.90). 3) SJ height results mirrored CMJ trends, with ES values ranking:2\/0\/X\/0 group (ES\u2009=\u20091.09) > V\/V\/X\/V group (ES\u2009=\u20090.34) > 4\/0\/X\/0 group (ES\u2009=\u2009\u22120.83). 4) In 30-meter sprint performance, the 2\/0\/X\/0 group demonstrated significant improvement (P\u2009<\u20090.05), the 4\/0\/X\/0 group showed significant decline (P\u2009<\u20090.01), and the V\/V\/X\/V group exhibited no significant change. Effect sizes indicated significant improvement in the 2\/0\/X\/0 group (ES\u2009=\u2009\u22120.76), no meaningful change in the V\/V\/X\/V group (ES\u2009=\u2009\u22120.10), and a significant decline in the 4\/0\/X\/0 group (ES\u2009=\u20090.63). Notably, despite significant gains in maximal strength, the 4\/0\/X\/0 group displayed concurrent decrements in stretch-shortening cycle-based explosive performances.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n Compared with the 4\/0\/X\/0 and V\/V\/X\/V tempos, the 2\/0\/X\/0 tempo showed the most favorable improvement trend in lower-limb maximal strength, and induced significantly greater enhancements in explosive power performance.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0354725","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T17:38:49Z","timestamp":1785173929000},"page":"e0354725","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The effect of squat training with different eccentric contraction tempos on lower limb muscle strength"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-9747-5274","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Mushuai","family":"Hao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Haonan","family":"Qi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Liang","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3475-6116","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Wei","family":"Han","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0354725.ref001","volume-title":"Triphasic training: a systematic approach to elite speed and explosive strength performance","author":"C Dietz","year":"2012"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0354725.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"59","DOI":"10.3390\/sports9050059","article-title":"The influence of growth, maturation and resistance training on muscle-tendon and neuromuscular adaptations: a narrative review","volume":"9","author":"N Tumkur Anil Kumar","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sports (Basel)"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0354725.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"687","DOI":"10.1249\/MSS.0b013e3181915670","article-title":"American College of Sports Medicine position stand. 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