Acute muscle damage as a stimulus for training-induced gains in strength

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a single acute bout of maximal eccentric work upon the strength gains during 9 subsequent weeks of strength training. Eccentric work causes acute muscle damage that may initiate compensatory hypertrophy and enhance training-induced gains in...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Medicine and science in sports and exercise 2001-07, Vol.33 (7), p.1200-1205
Main Authors: FOLLAND, Jonathan P, CHONG, James, COPEMAN, Elizabeth M, JONES, David A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Physiological
Adult
Arm - physiology
Biological and medical sciences
Creatine Kinase - blood
Exercise - physiology
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Isometric Contraction - physiology
Lifting
Male
Muscle, Skeletal - injuries
Muscle, Skeletal - physiopathology
Pain - etiology
Pain - physiopathology
Space life sciences
Striated muscle. Tendons
Tensile Strength - physiology
Vertebrates: osteoarticular system, musculoskeletal system
Weight Lifting - physiology
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a single acute bout of maximal eccentric work upon the strength gains during 9 subsequent weeks of strength training. Eccentric work causes acute muscle damage that may initiate compensatory hypertrophy and enhance training-induced gains in strength. Twenty-six healthy adults (21 +/- 1 yr, 7 women) trained the elbow flexors 3 d per week for 9 wk. One arm (C) performed purely conventional isotonic training, i.e., lifting and lowering. The other arm (E) began with a single bout of maximal eccentric work but thereafter undertook identical isotonic training. Every week dynamic lifting strength (1 RM) and isometric strength were measured. The results indicated that an acute bout of eccentric muscle damage does not accentuate training-induced gains in strength. Isometric strength of arm E fell by 15 +/- 2% (mean +/- SEM) 2 d after the bout of eccentric work, and, 4 d afterward, plasma creatine kinase levels were 1502 +/- 397 IU.L-1. Although arm E displayed rapid gains in strength from 2 d after the bout of eccentric work, these were not sustained, and for several weeks arm E showed significantly smaller gains in strength than arm C (isometric strength, 2 wk; dynamic lifting strength, 5 wk). After 9 wk of training, the gains in both isometric and dynamic lifting strength were similar for the two arms. A single bout of damaging eccentric work did not enhance the response to conventional strength training and significantly compromised strength gains for several weeks.
ISSN:0195-9131
1530-0315
DOI:10.1097/00005768-200107000-00019