The role of eccentric muscle actions in the increase of strength and muscle mass

Abstract

An increased muscle mass and strength are the main adjustments to strength training. It seems that the tension level of the muscle action plays a major role. It has been demonstrated that tension is affected by muscle action type. During an excentric action the muscle produces tension with increase of its length resulting in damage to the muscle structure. Considering that excentric training causes greater changes in strength gains and muscle mass, exercise induced damage has been seen as training stimulus. This paper will present mechanical and neural characteristics of the excentric actions e how they may contribute to the skeletal muscle adaptations to the strength training stimuli.