Exercise Physiology: Theory and Application to Fitness and Performance 9th Edition by Scott Powers, Edward Howley

Exercise 18

Identify the primary changes that occur in skeletal muscle fibers in response to resistance training.

Step 1 of 2

Resistance training induces two specific changes in the skeletal muscle that contribute to an increase in the muscle size. They are muscle hyperplasia and hypertrophy.

Hyperplasia: It refers to an increase in the total number of muscle fibers within a specific muscle. It is mainly seen in long-term strength training, but is not as prominent as muscle hypertrophy.