Resistance Training & Neural Adaptations

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to neuromuscular adaptations and strength gains from resistance training.

Resistance Training

Exercise that uses external resistance (weights, bands, etc.) to induce muscular contraction and stimulate strength adaptations.

Neuromuscular Adaptations

Functional changes in both the nervous system and muscle tissue that enhance force production following resistance training.

Muscle Plasticity

The muscle’s ability to remodel structurally and functionally in response to training or disuse.

Early Strength Gains

25–100 % strength improvement seen in the first 3–6 months, largely due to neural learning rather than muscle hypertrophy.

Motor Unit

An α-motor neuron and all the muscle fibers it innervates; the basic functional unit of muscle contraction.

Motor Unit Recruitment

The orderly activation of additional motor units to increase total muscle force output.

Rate Coding (Motor Nerve Firing Rate)

The frequency at which an α-motor neuron sends action potentials; higher rates produce greater force.

Synchronization (of Motor Units)

Simultaneous firing of multiple motor units, improving rate of force development and steadiness of contraction.

Neural Drive

Combined effect of motor unit recruitment and rate coding signals descending from the CNS to muscle fibers.

α-Motor Neuron

Nerve cell in the spinal cord or brainstem that directly innervates skeletal muscle fibers and initiates their contraction.

Tetanus (Muscle Physiology)

Maximal, sustained muscle tension achieved when a motor unit is stimulated at very high frequency.

Ballistic Training

Rapid, explosive-movement training that effectively increases motor unit firing frequency and rate of force development.

Autogenic Inhibition

Protective reflex that reduces muscle activation when tension threatens to damage bones or connective tissue.

Golgi Tendon Organ

Proprioceptor located in tendons that senses tension and triggers autogenic inhibition of motor neurons.

Reticular Formation

Brainstem network that, along with the cerebral cortex, can send inhibitory impulses to spinal motor neurons.

Coactivation

Concurrent activation of agonist and antagonist muscles around a joint, often limiting maximal force output.

Agonist Muscle

The primary mover responsible for producing a specific joint action.

Antagonist Muscle

Muscle that opposes the action of the agonist, potentially impeding movement if excessively activated.

Hypertrophy

Increase in muscle fiber size resulting from chronic overload or resistance training.

Atrophy

Decrease in muscle fiber size due to disuse, immobilization, or catabolic states.

Rate of Force Development (RFD)

The speed at which force can be generated; enhanced by improved motor unit recruitment and synchronization.