Part 1: What Is Strength Training? (And How Your Body Really Produces Force)

There are many misconceptions about strength training, often driven by the fitness industry and amplified by social media. The result is confusion: people work hard, yet see little of the results they expect.

The truth is simpler. Strength training is one of the most well-researched areas in health and performance, and its core principles are well established (1, 2). Understanding those principles is what separates effort from progress.

Key Definitions

To build an effective routine, we first need precise definitions:

• Strength: The ability to produce and control force.

  
  

• Force: Mass multiplied by acceleration (F = MA).

  
  

• One-Repetition Maximum (1RM): The greatest load you can lift once in a given movement. It is commonly used as a practical measure of maximal strength.

  
  

• Hypertrophy: Refers to an increase in muscle size, specifically cross-sectional area, which contributes to strength but does not guarantee it (3, 4).

  
  

• Velocity-Based Training (VBT): Training designed to improve speed and/or acceleration, focusing on the velocity of a movement at certain joint angles.

  
  

• Range of Motion (ROM): The range, in degrees, through which a movement is performed (full range vs. partial range).

  
  

• Bodyweight (BW): Either a movement performed without external load (e.g., a push-up) or a bar loaded with your body weight (e.g., a bodyweight back squat).

  
  

• Load: The weight used.

  
  

• Volume: The total work performed, often described as repetitions multiplied by sets (in a session or across a week).

  
  

• Volume Load: Volume multiplied by load, calculated per movement or across all movements.

  
  

• Repetitions in Reserve (RIR): The number of additional repetitions you could perform before reaching failure. Used to judge training proximity to failure in research and load prescription (5, 6).

  
  

• Effective Sets: Sets taken close to failure (usually within 1 to 3 RIR) within a repetition range heavy enough to create adaptation.

  
  

• Concentric Contractions: Phase where muscle fibres shorten under tension.

  
  

• Eccentric Contractions: Phase where muscle fibres lengthen under tension.

  
  

• Isometric Contractions: Phase where muscle fibre length does not change under tension (meaning "eccentric isometrics" are a logical contradiction!).

  
  

• Acute:Chronic Workload Ratio (ACWR): A sports science metric comparing short-term training load to longer-term fitness baseline to optimize performance while minimizing overtraining and injury risk.

  
  

• Training vs. Exercise: Training is intentional, structured movement with a clear goal. Exercise is general activity without a defined outcome.

  
  

What Is Strength Training?

Strength training is the process of improving your ability to produce and control force. This happens through two main adaptations: increased muscle size and improved nervous system efficiency, including better recruitment of motor units (3, 4).

In the early stages of strength training, much of the improvement comes from neural adaptation rather than muscle growth. The nervous system becomes better at recruiting muscle fibres, increasing motor unit firing, coordinating movement, and reducing unnecessary opposing-muscle tension.

That is why beginners often get stronger quickly before any visible change in muscle size appears (9, 10). In practice, early progress is largely about learning to produce force more efficiently—so consistent practice of main lifts, good technique, and gradual progression are especially important for novice lifters (9, 10).         EARLY STRENGTH GAIN

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While heavier loads are effective, they are not the only path. Strength can be developed across a wide range of loads and speeds, depending on the movement and training goal (5, 8). Importantly, strength exists along a spectrum: lifting a heavy deadlift and sprinting at full speed are both expressions of strength, just at different points on the force-velocity curve (5).

Whether you are starting out or fine-tuning your technique, establishing proper movement mechanics is essential. The coaching team at Lift Fulham focuses on laying these foundational neural patterns safely before layering on high intensity.

• Next in the Series: Part 2: The 4 Universal Laws of Strength Training (SAID, Overload, Individuality & Reversibility)

  
  

Part 1 References

1. Seguin, R., & Nelson, M. E. (2003). The benefits of strength training for older adults. Am J Prev Med, 25(3 Suppl 2), 141–149.

   
   

2. Westcott, W. L. (2012). Resistance training is medicine: Effects on health. Curr Sports Med Rep, 11(4), 209–216.

   
   

3. Schoenfeld, B. J. (2010). The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy. J Strength Cond Res, 24(10), 2857–2872.

   
   

4. Vieira, A. F., et al. (2021). Effects of resistance training to failure vs non-failure. J Strength Cond Res, 35(4), 1165–1175.

   
   

5. Schoenfeld, B. J., et al. (2017). Maximizing muscle hypertrophy: A systematic review. Sports Med, 47(6), 1139–1150.

   
   

6. Lovegrove, S., et al. (2022). Repetitions in reserve as a load prescription tool. J Strength Cond Res, 36(10), 2696–2700.

   
   

7. Slysz, J., et al. (2022). Hypertrophy and strength with volume-matched loads. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab, 47(4), 357–368.

   
   

8. Grgic, J., et al. (2022). Resistance training to failure vs non-failure. Sports Med.

   
   

9. Zourdos, M. C., et al. (2016). Novel RPE scale measuring repetitions in reserve. J Strength Cond Res, 30(1), 267–275.