The Effect of Free Weight Resistance Training on Cognitive Function Explored Through Eye Tracking: A Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial

Recent studies have reported important benefits of Resistance Training (RT) in cognitive function; however, there are certain aspects concerning the study of this relation between RT and cognition that still remain unexplored. Some of these aspects encompass populations, programming parameters, and outcome measures. Our interest is unveiling the potential benefits of RT on cognitive function among healthy young adults engaged in complex cognitive tasks, shedding light on RT's impact on cognitive processing through innovative methodology like Eye Tracking. Hence, this study aims to explore the impact of chronic RT, specifically with free weights (FW), on cognitive function among healthy young adults, employing Eye Tracking (ET) technology. We adopted an experimental design including both experimental and control groups. Participants (18) were randomly assigned to either group. The experimental group engaged in a 10-week program of free weight strength training. Cognitive function was operationalized as written text processing and assessed through ET metrics (including First Pass Reading Times and Total Reading Times). The results show significant improvements in eye-tracking measures: Total Reading Times and First Pass Reading Times. These improvements can be attributed to RT, as it has been shown to enhance executive functions, which in turn influence reading performance.