Effects of Four Weeks of Strength Training on the Corticomotoneuronal Pathway.

Purpose: Neural adaptations to strength training have long been recognized, but knowledge of mechanisms remains incomplete. Using novel techniques and a design which limited experimental bias, this study examined if 4 weeks of strength training alters voluntary activation and corticospinal transmission. Methods: Twenty-one subjects were randomized into strength training (n = 10; 7 females, 3 males; 23.5 +/- 7.5 yr; mean +/- SD) and control groups (n = 11; 2 females, 9 males; 23.0 +/- 4.2 yr). Strength training involved 12 sessions of high-force isometric contractions of the elbow flexors. Before and after training, voluntary activation of the elbow flexors was assessed via transcranial magnetic stimulation. Also, for the first time, magnetic stimulation of corticospinal axons was used to examine spinal-level adaptations to training. The evoked responses, termed cervicomedullary motor evoked potentials (CMEPs), were acquired in resting biceps brachii in 3 arm postures. Muscle adaptations were assessed via electrical stimulation of biceps. Results: Compared to the control group, the strength training group exhibited greater increases in maximal strength (12.8 +/- 6.8% vs 0.0 +/- 2.7%; p

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