Adaptations to Resistance Training

Question 1

Benefits of Strength Training

Answer 1

• Improving posture, personal appearance, and self-image
• Developing sports and occupational skills
• Promoting joint stability
• Improves balance and restores mobility

Question 2

Functional Benefits of Strength Training

Answer 2

Health Perspective: 
- Reduce chronic low back pain
- Reduce arthritic pain
- Aids in childbearing 
Metabolic Benefits:
- Helps to increase or maintain muscle and a higher resting metabolic rate
- Promotes weight loss and maintenance
- Improves cholesterol levels

Question 3

Factors for Adaptation

Answer 3

Neural Stimulation (regulation of force/tension)

• A motor unit is a given motor neuron plus the muscle fibers it innervates
• As the number of fibers innervated and frequency of stimulation increases, so does the strength of the muscular contraction

Question 4

Muscular Adaptations- Neural Control

Answer 4

• An enhanced level of neural faciliation accounts for the rapid and significant strength increase early in training
  The nerual adaptation with RT may result of:
• More efficient neural recruitment patterns
• Increased CNS activiation
• Improved synchronization of MU’s

Question 5

Synchronization and Recruitment of MU’s

Answer 5

• MU’s are generally recruited as synchronously
• STR (strength training resistance) gains may result from changes in MU recruitment: allowing MU to synchroniz
• STR training may lead to more MU recruitment independant of wehter the MU’s act in unison
• May cause reduced inhibitory impulses, allowing more MU’s to be activated or to be activated at a higher frequency

Question 6

Coactivation theory

Answer 6

• Relationship between agonist and antagonist muscles
• To maximize force, the amount of co- activation has to be reduced
• Reducation in co- activation could explain a portion of STR gains

Question 7

Muscle Adaptions- Hypetrophy

Answer 7

• Increase in size of muscle fibre with strength/resistance/anaerobic training
• Increase in muscle fibre size due to more protein (accretion) as a result of increased protein synthesis that is greater than degradation

Question 8

Chronic Hypetrophy

Answer 8

• Increase muscle size that occurs with long-term RT
• Reflects actual structural changes in the muscle that results from;
  ~ Fibre hypertrophy (MAJOR mechanism)
  ~ Fibre hyperplasia (MINOR mechanism)

Question 9

Muscle Adaptions- Hyperplasia

Answer 9

• With resistance training, slect muscle fibres appear to split in half, and each half then increases in size to that of the parent fibre
• In human, it is unlikely that fibre type conversion occurs. Rather, IIa can become ‘more like’ IIx

Question 10

Physiological and Biochemical Changes with Strength/ Resistance Training

Answer 10

• Increase muscle mass and strength
• Increase utilization of MU during muscle contractions
• Increase coordination of MU
• Increase strength og tendons, ligaments and bones

Question 11

Detraining

Immobilization vs. Detraining

Answer 11

• Strength tranining resistance decreases vary depending on the length of detraining period, magnitude of gains, type of contraction
• Losses in strength can be attributed to a reversal of hormonal adaptation to STR