ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 has a review of the physiology behind strength and conditioning (musculoskeletal, neural, metabolic, and endocrine physiology) explaining why this information is relevant to a practitioner. The chapter includes the latest research on the physiological adaptations seen from strength training (neural, muscular, hormonal, bone/connective tissue, and metabolic adaptations). A discussion is included about conflicts in the literature regarding the nature of neural adaptations from strength training.
The human body’s physiology determines what kinds of adaptations are made from training and drives why training is performed the way that it is. It is important to have some understanding of how and why the body responds to exercise in order to more effectively perform exercises and to more effectively design strength and conditioning programs.
