Comparison of linear and undulating periodization resistance training on athletic capacities and health promotion: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Linear periodization (LP) and undulating periodization (UP) had comparable overall effects on enhancing athletic capacity.

• 29 studies met the inclusion criteria from searches of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science up to July 20th, 2025.
• Athletic capacity outcomes assessed included measures commonly evaluated in resistance training research.
• No statistically significant difference was found between LP and UP for overall athletic capacity improvement.
• The TESTEX Scale was used to assess the quality of included studies.

LP and UP had comparable effects on improving body composition overall.

• Body composition outcomes included measures such as lean body mass and weight loss.
• Subgroup analyses were carried out based on participants' age, sex, training duration, and obesity status.
• Overall meta-analytic results showed no significant difference between LP and UP for body composition across the full sample.
• 29 studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis.

UP was superior to LP in increasing lean body mass among obese individuals.

• This finding emerged from subgroup analysis based on obesity status.
• The advantage of UP over LP for lean body mass was specific to obese participants.
• This subgroup difference was not observed in the overall (non-stratified) analysis.
• Egger's test and sensitivity analysis were conducted to evaluate the robustness of results.

UP was superior to LP for achieving short-term weight loss goals, while LP was more appropriate for long-term weight loss.

• This differential finding emerged from subgroup analysis based on training duration.
• Short-term and long-term weight loss outcomes favored different periodization models.
• UP demonstrated an advantage for short-term weight loss whereas LP was more effective over longer training durations.
• These findings suggest that the choice of periodization model should be guided by the specific temporal objective of the intervention.

LP and UP had comparable effects on regulating blood glucose and insulin resistance overall.

• Blood glucose and insulin resistance were among the health-promotion outcomes assessed.
• No significant overall difference between LP and UP was found for blood glucose or insulin resistance.
• The sole study involving only males suggested that UP was more effective than LP in reducing insulin resistance in men.
• This sex-based difference was observed in subgroup analysis based on participants' sex.

The systematic review included 29 studies identified through a multi-database search and assessed for quality using the TESTEX Scale.

• Databases searched included PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science.
• The search was conducted up to July 20th, 2025.
• Two authors independently extracted and coded the data.
• Egger's test and sensitivity analysis were conducted to evaluate the robustness of results.
• Subgroup analyses were carried out based on participants' age, sex, training duration, and obesity status.