Neuromuscular adaptations during the acquisition of muscle strength, power and motor tasks

Neuromuscular performance is determined not only by the size of the involved muscles, but also by the ability of the nervous system to appropriately activate the muscles. Adaptive changes in the nervous system in response to training are referred to as neural adaptation. This article briefly reviews current evidence regarding the neural adaptations during the acquisition of muscle strength power and motor tasks and will be organized under four main topics, namely: (i) muscle strength gain: neural factors versus hypertrophy, (ii) neural adaptations during power training, (iii) neuromuscular adaptations during the acquisition of a motor task, and (iv) neuromuscular adaptations during a ballistic movement.