L4__Muscle Types sequel 1- Training Level (Absolute Strength+Muscle Endurance)

After understanding the muscle types underlying skeletal muscle, let's dive into how our muscles determine athletic performance and training levels.

Assuming you are a gymnast, what qualities do you think your muscles need to possess?

Hint: You may need to complete a series of grasping and soaring movements, which will last for a long time.

So the answer is already within reach——

There are four main associations between muscles and exercise performance that we are familiar with:

Absolute strength, muscular endurance, coordination and flexibility.

In this article, we will provide a detailed introduction to the concepts of absolute strength and muscular endurance, as well as relevant training methods and their mechanisms.

Absolute Strength

For the training of absolute strength, we will mainly discuss the four training methods stated below.

Weight training: Weight training is one of the main methods to improve absolute strength. This training method stimulates the rapid muscle fibers of muscles by using larger loads and lower repetition rates. These muscle fibers generate more strength under high intensity. Common weight training exercises include squats, hard pulls, bench presses, and pull ups. These movements involve the participation of large muscle groups, which can effectively increase absolute strength.

Neuroadaptation: Weight training not only increases muscle size and strength, but it also triggers neurological adaptation. This adaptation includes improving neuro-muscular connections, increasing nerve conduction velocity, and enhancing muscle coordination. These neural adaptations are crucial for improving absolute strength.

Muscle adaptation: Weight training can stimulate adaptive changes in muscles, including the growth of muscle fibers and an increase in muscle protein synthesis. These adaptive changes enable muscles to produce more strength. In addition, weight training can increase the number of muscle fibers and cross-sectional area of muscles, thereby improving muscle strength and absolute strength.

Central nervous system adaptation: Weight training also has a positive impact on the central nervous system. This type of training can improve the activation level of the central nervous system and the ability to control muscles. These changes can enable muscles to produce more strength at high intensities.

These concepts are somewhat abstract, let’s further analyze them.

Do you wonder why weight training or explosive training often improve our absolute strength better?

The reason is that larger loads and lower frequency can stimulate fast muscle fibers, mainly because fast muscle fibers are more sensitive to high-intensity exercise responses.

Muscle fibers are divided into two types: slow muscle fibers and fast muscle fibers. Slow muscle fibers are suitable for low-intensity, long-term exercise, while fast muscle fibers are suitable for high-intensity, short-term exercise. Fast muscle fibers have higher contraction speed and strength generation ability.

When carrying heavy loads, muscles need to generate more strength to overcome the load. This will activate fast muscle fibers to meet strength demands.

At the same time, a lower number of repetitions means that the duration of each exercise group is shorter, which further increases the participation of fast muscle fibers at the same time, a lower number of repetitions means that the duration of each exercise group is shorter, which further increases the participation of fast muscle fibers.

Therefore, greater weight-bearing and lower frequency can stimulate fast muscle fibers.

In addition, fast muscle fibers are more prone to fatigue during high-intensity exercise. Therefore, by using larger weight-bearing and lower frequency, fast muscle fibers can be more effectively activated and trained, thereby increasing the absolute strength of muscles.

What about neural adaptation?

Neural adaptation mechanism: Neural adaptation refers to the stimulation of changes in the nervous system through weight training, thereby improving muscle strength. This adaptation includes the following aspects:

Improvement of neuromuscular connectivity: Weight training can enhance the connection between nerves and muscles, improving the efficiency of nerve impulse transmission. This enables muscles to better respond to the commands of the nervous system and generate stronger muscle contraction force.

Improved nerve conduction velocity: Through weight training, the nervous system can adaptively increase the conduction velocity of nerve impulses. This means that nerve impulses can reach muscle fibers faster, allowing muscles to generate strength more quickly.

Coordination improvement: Weight training can enhance the nervous system's ability to control muscles, resulting in improved muscle coordination. This means that muscles can work together more effectively, producing stronger strength.

Central nervous system adaptation mechanism:

Central nervous system adaptation refers to the stimulation of changes in the central nervous system through weight training, thereby improving muscle strength. This adaptation includes the following aspects:

Increased central nervous system activation level: Weight training can stimulate the activation level of the central nervous system. This means that the brain and spinal cord have stronger instructions for generating and regulating muscle contractions. The increase in activation level can enhance the ability of muscles to generate strength.

Enhanced muscle control ability: Through weight training, the central nervous system can adaptively improve its ability to control muscles. This means that the brain and spinal cord can better coordinate and control muscle contractions, enabling muscles to produce strength more effectively.

In summary, neural adaptation and central nervous system adaptation are important mechanisms by which weight training enhances muscle strength. Weight training can improve neuromuscular connectivity, increase nerve conduction velocity, enhance muscle coordination, and improve central nervous system activation and muscle control ability.

Muscle Endurance

Muscle endurance, as the name suggests, is about allowing your muscles to support you for longer periods of exercise

How should we train muscle endurance? What is the mechanism of training muscle endurance?

Lightweight and high repetition training: This training method enhances muscle endurance by using relatively light weights to perform high repetition exercises. The number of repetitions is usually around 12-15 times. This training method mainly improves muscle endurance by improving the number of muscle mitochondria and muscle fiber types.

Muscle mitochondria are the energy production centers within cells, capable of producing the energy required by muscles. Through lightweight and high repetition training, the number of mitochondria in muscles will increase, thereby improving the muscle's oxidative capacity and endurance.

In addition, muscle fibers are divided into two types: fast muscle fibers and slow muscle fibers. Fast muscle fibers are mainly responsible for high-intensity, short-term exercise, while slow muscle fibers are mainly responsible for low-intensity, long-term exercise. Lightweight and high repetition training can promote the development of slow muscle fibers in muscles, thereby improving muscle endurance.

Interval training: Interval training is a training method that alternates between work and rest. By setting short rest periods between high-intensity exercises to restore muscle energy, the duration of muscle endurance can be extended.

The mechanism of interval training involves lactate metabolism within muscles. When muscles engage in high-intensity exercise, lactate accumulates in the muscles, leading to muscle fatigue. By taking a short break, lactate can be cleared and muscles can continue to work better, thereby improving muscle endurance.

Aerobic exercise: Aerobic exercise refers to long-term, low to moderate intensity activities such as running, swimming, and cycling. This training method mainly improves muscle endurance by enhancing cardiovascular function and oxidative metabolism.

Sources Cited :

Absolute Strength vs. Relative Strength: What's the Difference?" Verywell Fit, www.verywellfit.com.

Strength Training for Muscle Growth: Benefits, Workout Tips, and More." Healthline, www.healthline.com.

Muscular Endurance Exercises: Top 5 Moves to Improve Stamina." WebMD, www.webmd.com.

Building Muscular Strength and Endurance." American Council on Exercise (ACE), www.acefitness.org.