Resistance exercise

Question 1

Define resistance exercise

Answer 1

any exercise that causes the muscle to contract against an external resistance

Question 2

How are muscles structured?

Answer 2

myofibrils –> muscle fibre –> muscle fascicle –> muscle

Question 3

What 2 ways does muscle CSA increase?

Answer 3

1. hypertrophy 
   McCall et al (1996) showed 
   sig increases in 
   hypertrophy in college men 
   after 12 weeks resistance 
   training   
2. hyperplasia

Question 4

What is the mechanism of hypertrophy?

Answer 4

myofibril splitting, increases CSA, allowing more cross bridges to form

Question 5

When does hyperplasia occur?

Answer 5

up until 60-70% of gestation, unlikely after that.

Link between strength athletes and muscle fibre no. not conclusive as casual relationship may be in either direction.

Question 6

What is a motor unit?

Answer 6

a motor neuron and the muscle fibres it innervates

Question 7

What is Henneman’s size principle?

Answer 7

fibres are recruited in order of size as more force is required.

Question 8

What are 3 neural adaptations to resistance training?

Answer 8

1. motor unit recruitment pattern (efficiency)
2. increased innervation ratio (morphological)
3. frequency of action potential firing (summation)

all three adaptations increase force per unit of mCSA, explaining why people can see rapid strength increases without increased mCSA
- (Folland & Williams, 2007)

Question 9

Does fibre type proportion vary between athletes?

Answer 9

Yas,

thought to be mainly down to genetics

Question 10

How long do fast and slow twitch fibres take to reach peak tension?

Answer 10

Fast = 50ms
Slow = 110ms

Question 11

Does fibre type change with resistance training?

Answer 11

Nope,
however, % of fiber area does change, supporting hypertrophy occurrence.
- (Costill et al, 1979)

Question 12

What do cross innervation trials tell us?

Answer 12

Nerve dictates fibre type

Question 13

What are satellite cells?

Answer 13

‘dormant stem cells’

Question 14

Describe the process satellite cells go through when exposed to an anabolic stimulus (mechanical or chemical)

Answer 14

.cells activate, proliferate and differentiate
.some cells form more satellite cells
.some cells attracted to the damaged fibres via chemotaxis
.cells fuse to the damaged myofiber (hypertrophy), regenerating it.

Question 15

Does load impact strength and mass gainzzzzzz?

Answer 15

No, as long as you work to failure
Both high and low loads are effective in increasing mass and strength.
Strong bias towards heavy load, especially for strength
- (Schoenfeld et al, 2016)

Question 16

Will drop sets make me weaker and worse at endurance?

Answer 16

nah
bicep strength during 8 week program not compromised by drop sets over only high load
bicep endurance only compromised slightly by using drop sets over high reps only.

X huge differences in volumes
- (Ozaki et al, 2017)

Question 17

Do you get better at what you train for?

Answer 17

Yas, specificity bro

Question 18

Is the hormone response important for hypertrophy?

Answer 18

West et al (2009) found no dig increase in protein synthesis after a high hormone protocol vs low hormone, both when looking at acute changes and long term.

Question 19

When do neurological factors have the greatest influence on muscle strength when resistance training?

Answer 19

during the early stages of a training programme