Learning and Tension as Factors in Static Strength Gains Produced by Static and Eccentric Training

Abstract

On the basis of a pretest for static leg strength, 45 subjects were divided into three groups of equal N and approximately equal mean strength. The two experimental groups then trained three days a week for six weeks on either a static or eccentric leg training program. Results indicated that both static and eccentric strength training produced significant gains in static leg strength (17.4% and 17.0%, respectively) when compared to the control group. Eccentric strength increased by 41.2% (t = 5.52, P<.05) due to eccentric training, but this improvement was unrelated (r = .27) to static strength improvement scores. Other correlations indicated that eccentric and static strength were also unrelated in terms of pretraining scores (r = .09) and posttraining scores (r = .05). These results were taken as supporting the notion that there are at least two causes of strength development: one is a physiological change in the muscles brought about by tension induced through training; the other is the development of neuromotor coordination patterns that enable groups of muscles to coordinate effectively into a maximal contraction. This latter factor was seen as responsible for the extreme specificity of different measures of strength.