Strength of skeletal muscle and the effects of training

The performance of any sporting activity involves a combination of skill and strength and it is very difficult to disentangle their separate contributions. The strength of an individual muscle depends on a number of factors. The major factor is the cross-sectional area of the muscle but others include the extent to which the muscle can be activated by voluntary effort, the overall length of the muscle and the position in which it is used, the fibre type composition and the velocity at which the movement takes place. Over a period of 2 to 3 months the major benefit of training is to improve the skill with which the training exercise is carried out. The effect is very specific so that there is considerable doubt as to whether weight training does anything other than train the athlete to lift weights. Increases in muscle size and strength in a healthy athlete occur relatively slowly and apart from the fact that high forces are required, little is known about the factors which stimulate growth. Accumulation of metabolites and damage to the muscle fibres are possible stimuli for growth but the prescription of optimal training regimes remains a matter of personal choice between the athlete and trainer rather than athlete and physiologist.