Which program is most appropriate to primarily improve muscular endurance of the lower body for a novice client who also wants minimal gains in muscle size?

• A. Resistance sessions 2–3 times per week using moderate loads (40–60% 1RM), higher repetitions (12–20 reps per set), 2–3 sets per exercise, short rest intervals (30–60 s), combined with adequate protein (≈1.4–1.6 g/kg/day) and a slight caloric maintenance or small deficit to avoid hypertrophy.
• B. Only steady-state aerobic sessions such as cycling for long durations to failure, with no resistance training, because endurance always transfers fully to muscular endurance in resistance contexts.
• C. Daily maximal effort plyometrics and sprint training with no structured resistance work, expecting that the speed training will produce specific lower-body muscular endurance identical to high-volume resistance protocols.
• D. High-load low-rep strength training (85–95% 1RM) across 1–2 sessions per week focused on 1–5 reps to maximize neural adaptations, with unrestricted calorie surplus to guarantee size gains.

Answer: (A)