Bret Contreras

3.0k total citations · 2 hit papers
48 papers, 2.1k citations indexed

About

Bret Contreras is a scholar working on Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Biomedical Engineering and Surgery. According to data from OpenAlex, Bret Contreras has authored 48 papers receiving a total of 2.1k indexed citations (citations by other indexed papers that have themselves been cited), including 43 papers in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, 18 papers in Biomedical Engineering and 12 papers in Surgery. Recurrent topics in Bret Contreras's work include Sports Performance and Training (35 papers), Sports injuries and prevention (35 papers) and Muscle activation and electromyography studies (14 papers). Bret Contreras is often cited by papers focused on Sports Performance and Training (35 papers), Sports injuries and prevention (35 papers) and Muscle activation and electromyography studies (14 papers). Bret Contreras collaborates with scholars based in New Zealand, United States and Australia. Bret Contreras's co-authors include Brad J. Schöenfeld, Mark D. Peterson, Andrew D. Vigotsky, Chris Beardsley, John Cronin, Gül Sönmez, Dan Ogborn, Gül Tiryaki-Sönmez, Andrew Alto and Nicholas A. Ratamess and has published in prestigious journals such as PLoS ONE, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise and European Journal of Applied Physiology.

In The Last Decade

Bret Contreras

47 papers receiving 2.1k citations

Hit Papers

Effects of Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training on Musc... 2015 2026 2018 2022 2015 2018 100 200 300
What are hit papers?

Hit papers significantly outperform the citation benchmark for their cohort. A paper qualifies if it has ≥500 total citations, achieves ≥1.5× the top-1% citation threshold for papers in the same subfield and year (this is the minimum needed to enter the top 1%, not the average within it), or reaches the top citation threshold in at least one of its specific research topics.

  1. Effects of Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Well-Trained Men
    2015 306 citations Brad J. Schöenfeld, Mark D. Peterson et al. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research profile →
  2. Resistance Training Volume Enhances Muscle Hypertrophy but Not Strength in Trained Men
    2018 207 citations Brad J. Schöenfeld, Bret Contreras et al. profile →

Peers — A (Enhanced Table)

Peers by citation overlap · career bar shows stage (early→late) cites · hero ref

Name h Career Trend Papers Cites
Bret Contreras New Zealand 25 1.8k 740 506 287 234 48 2.1k
Christophe Hautier France 25 1.6k 0.9× 879 1.2× 494 1.0× 135 0.5× 283 1.2× 95 2.2k
James L. Nuzzo Australia 24 1.4k 0.8× 696 0.9× 292 0.6× 158 0.6× 180 0.8× 70 2.0k
Giuseppe Coratella Italy 31 2.2k 1.2× 805 1.1× 411 0.8× 144 0.5× 406 1.7× 122 2.8k
Lawrence W. Weiss United States 27 1.7k 1.0× 803 1.1× 474 0.9× 235 0.8× 238 1.0× 97 2.2k
Dan Ogborn Canada 14 1.3k 0.7× 397 0.5× 612 1.2× 369 1.3× 146 0.6× 22 2.0k
Nicholas D. Gill New Zealand 30 2.5k 1.4× 924 1.2× 377 0.7× 277 1.0× 467 2.0× 77 3.0k
S. Longo Italy 23 1.3k 0.7× 695 0.9× 199 0.4× 103 0.4× 192 0.8× 106 2.0k
Michał Wilk Poland 29 1.5k 0.8× 518 0.7× 857 1.7× 368 1.3× 150 0.6× 130 2.3k
Thomas R. Baechle United States 11 1.1k 0.6× 389 0.5× 289 0.6× 220 0.8× 195 0.8× 29 1.6k
Anis Chaouachi Tunisia 26 1.8k 1.0× 499 0.7× 553 1.1× 158 0.6× 469 2.0× 68 2.3k

Countries citing papers authored by Bret Contreras

Since Specialization
Citations

This map shows the geographic impact of Bret Contreras's research. It shows the number of citations coming from papers published by authors working in each country. You can also color the map by specialization and compare the number of citations received by Bret Contreras with the expected number of citations based on a country's size and research output (numbers larger than one mean the country cites Bret Contreras more than expected).

Fields of papers citing papers by Bret Contreras

Since Specialization
Physical SciencesHealth SciencesLife SciencesSocial Sciences

This network shows the impact of papers produced by Bret Contreras. Nodes represent research fields, and links connect fields that are likely to share authors. Colored nodes show fields that tend to cite the papers produced by Bret Contreras. The network helps show where Bret Contreras may publish in the future.

Co-authorship network of co-authors of Bret Contreras

This figure shows the co-authorship network connecting the top 25 collaborators of Bret Contreras. A scholar is included among the top collaborators of Bret Contreras based on the total number of citations received by their joint publications. Widths of edges represent the number of papers authors have co-authored together. Node borders signify the number of papers an author published with Bret Contreras. Bret Contreras is excluded from the visualization to improve readability, since they are connected to all nodes in the network.

All Works

20 of 20 papers shown
1.
Androulakis‐Korakakis, Patroklos, Michael D. Roberts, Daniel L. Plotkin, et al.. (2025). Does longer-muscle length resistance training cause greater longitudinal growth in humans? A systematic review. Sports Medicine and Health Science. 8(1). 34–42.
2.
Plotkin, Daniel L., Andrew D. Vigotsky, Andrew D. Frugé, et al.. (2023). Hip thrust and back squat training elicit similar gluteus muscle hypertrophy and transfer similarly to the deadlift. Frontiers in Physiology. 14. 1279170–1279170. 6 indexed citations
3.
4.
Loturco, Irineu, Bret Contreras, Ronaldo Kobal, et al.. (2018). Vertically and horizontally directed muscle power exercises: Relationships with top-level sprint performance. PLoS ONE. 13(7). e0201475–e0201475. 88 indexed citations
5.
Rossi, Fabrí­cio Eduardo, Brad J. Schöenfeld, Jonathan Young, et al.. (2018). Strength, body composition, and functional outcomes in the squat versus leg press exercises. The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. 58(3). 263–270. 34 indexed citations
6.
7.
Vigotsky, Andrew D., et al.. (2016). The modified Thomas test is not a valid measure of hip extension unless pelvic tilt is controlled. PeerJ. 4. e2325–e2325. 47 indexed citations
8.
Schöenfeld, Brad J., Dan Ogborn, Bret Contreras, et al.. (2016). A Comparison of Increases in Volume Load Over 8 Weeks of Low-Versus High-Load Resistance Training. Asian Journal of Sports Medicine. 7(2). e29247–e29247. 14 indexed citations
9.
Schöenfeld, Brad J., Nicholas A. Ratamess, Mark D. Peterson, Bret Contreras, & Gül Tiryaki-Sönmez. (2015). Influence of Resistance Training Frequency on Muscular Adaptations in Well-Trained Men. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 29(7). 1821–1829. 81 indexed citations
10.
Contreras, Bret, Andrew D. Vigotsky, Brad J. Schöenfeld, Chris Beardsley, & John Cronin. (2015). A comparison of two gluteus maximus EMG maximum voluntary isometric contraction positions. PeerJ. 3. e1261–e1261. 21 indexed citations
11.
Vigotsky, Andrew D., et al.. (2015). Acute effects of anterior thigh foam rolling on hip angle, knee angle, and rectus femoris length in the modified Thomas test. PeerJ. 3. e1281–e1281. 48 indexed citations
12.
Schöenfeld, Brad J., Mark D. Peterson, Dan Ogborn, Bret Contreras, & Gül Sönmez. (2015). Effects of Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Well-Trained Men. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 29(10). 2954–2963. 306 indexed citations breakdown →
13.
Schöenfeld, Brad J., Bret Contreras, Gül Tiryaki-Sönmez, et al.. (2014). Regional Differences in Muscle Activation During Hamstrings Exercise. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 29(1). 159–164. 45 indexed citations
14.
Schöenfeld, Brad J., Nicholas A. Ratamess, Mark D. Peterson, et al.. (2014). Effects of Different Volume-Equated Resistance Training Loading Strategies on Muscular Adaptations in Well-Trained Men. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 28(10). 2909–2918. 134 indexed citations
15.
Schöenfeld, Brad J., Bret Contreras, Gül Tiryaki-Sönmez, Jeffrey M. Willardson, & Fabio Fontana. (2014). An electromyographic comparison of a modified version of the plank with a long lever and posterior tilt versus the traditional plank exercise. Sports Biomechanics. 13(3). 296–306. 31 indexed citations
16.
Schöenfeld, Brad J., Bret Contreras, Jeffrey M. Willardson, Fabio Fontana, & Gül Tiryaki-Sönmez. (2014). Muscle activation during low- versus high-load resistance training in well-trained men. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 114(12). 2491–2497. 90 indexed citations
17.
Beardsley, Chris & Bret Contreras. (2014). The Increasing Role of the Hip Extensor Musculature With Heavier Compound Lower-Body Movements and More Explosive Sport Actions. Strength and conditioning journal. 36(2). 49–55. 22 indexed citations
18.
Schöenfeld, Brad J., et al.. (2013). Effect of Hand Position on EMG Activity of the Posterior Shoulder Musculature During a Horizontal Abduction Exercise. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 27(10). 2644–2649. 11 indexed citations
19.
Schöenfeld, Brad J. & Bret Contreras. (2013). The Muscle Pump. Strength and conditioning journal. 1–1. 11 indexed citations
20.
Mendiguchía, Jurdan, Mirian A. Garrues, John Cronin, et al.. (2012). Nonuniform Changes in MRI Measurements of the Thigh Muscles After Two Hamstring Strengthening Exercises. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 27(3). 574–581. 46 indexed citations

Rankless uses publication and citation data sourced from OpenAlex, an open and comprehensive bibliographic database. While OpenAlex provides broad and valuable coverage of the global research landscape, it—like all bibliographic datasets—has inherent limitations. These include incomplete records, variations in author disambiguation, differences in journal indexing, and delays in data updates. As a result, some metrics and network relationships displayed in Rankless may not fully capture the entirety of a scholar's output or impact.

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