Strength Training: Types & Principles, Benefits & Concerns

Strength training is the use of resistance to muscular contraction to build the strength, anaerobic endurance and size of skeletal muscles. There are many different methods of strength training, the most common being the use of gravity or elastic/hydraulic forces to oppose muscle contraction. When properly performed, strength training can provide significant functional benefits and improvement in overall health and well-being, including increased bone, muscle, tendon and ligament strength and toughness, improved joint function, reduced potential for injury, increased bone density, a temporary increase in metabolism, improved cardiac function, and elevated HDL (good) cholesterol. This new and important book gathers the latest research from around the globe in the study of strength training and highlights such topics as: neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) as a modality of strength training, metabolic damages induced by strenuous exercise, sport-specific strength training and others.