Muscle growth does contribute to the increases in strength that occur after resistance training

Resistance training (RT) is a highly popular physical activity, that can over time elicit profound improvements in physical function (i.e. neuromuscular strength and power) and is thus widely recommended for competitive athletes, prevention and rehabilitation of injury and illness, as well as healthy ageing. An accurate understanding of the physiological adaptations responsible for improved function is important to refine RT and optimise the adaptations that ensue. This perspective highlights a range of evidence and theory within four strands to demonstrate that muscle growth, part of the normal physiological adaptation to more than a few weeks of regular RT, contributes to the strength gains that occur after training.