Abstract
muscle hypertrophy
BRADLEY
Limited research exists examining how resistance training to failure affects applied outcomes and single motor unit characteristics in previously trained individuals. Herein, resistance‐trained adults (24 ± 3 years old, self‐reported resistance training experience was 6 ± 4 years, 11 men and 8 women) were randomly assigned to either a low‐repetitions‐in‐reserve (RIR; i.e., training near failure, Limited data exist examining how resistance training to failure affects applied outcomes and single motor unit characteristics in previously trained individuals. Here, we show that training near failure versus not training near failure for 5 weeks similarly increases strength and does not affect muscle hypertrophy. However, training near failure increases lower‐threshold motor unit firing rates, and further research is needed to determine the significance of this finding.
Bradley A. Ruple and Daniel L. Plotkin equally contributed to the writing of this paper.