Running head: EXSC 510 CASE STUDY 1
Case Study Question 3: Movement
Kanani Jackson
Liberty University
EXSC 510-B2 Advanced Exercise Physiology
Dr. Kilian
EXSC 510 CASE STUDY 2
Case Study Question 3: Movement
Bob Parker has increased his strength during the first six weeks of his resistance training
program but has not seen any positive effects regarding his size because of multiple possible
variables. One of the main variables is that Bob may be unconsciously training for strength rather
than hypertrophy training. Strength training can generate maximal force through muscle
contraction whereas hypertrophy is the process of increasing the size of muscle fibers, typically
in diameter, through resistance training (Powers et al., 2021). In more simple terms, hypertrophy
is done when one increases the overall volume of their workout (sets x reps). Strength training is
increasing the ability of a muscle to produce force, which can be done by lifting heavier weights.
The other main variable that may be affecting Bob’s satisfaction with his progress in his
resistance training program is his genetics. If Bob were to take a look at his parents and their
physiques such as their body fat percentage and their lean muscle mass, he may be able to
predetermine what his physique would look like based on his parents.
Firstly, Bob is struggling with the development of his muscle size because of a few
possibilities such as how heavy he is lifting, his intensity during workouts, so even if he is fully
activating his whole muscle or not while working out, and many more. To start with the basics,
Bob should know when using lighter weights, the first several reps he performs are not effective
for muscle growth, whereas the last several reps are the reps that will be providing the most
gains. He wants to fully activate the whole muscle, and also get the full range of the muscle for
maximum growth, known as ‘effective reps’. Therefore, if Bob is not seeing significant
progress, he might not be exposing his muscle to ‘effective reps’ enough to maximize growth.
For a training effect to occur, a system or tissue must be challenged with the intensity, duration,
or frequency of exercise to which it is unaccustomed is known as the overload principle (Powers
EXSC 510 CASE STUDY 3
et al., 2021). In addition, the tissue will adapt to this increased load. Now, the principle of
specificity translates how the training effect is limited to the muscle fibers involved in the
activity; muscle fiber adaptation is driven by the type of activity. Specifically, endurance exercise
training promotes an increase in both mitochondria and capillary density whereas resistance
training results in increased contractile protein in skeletal muscle (Powers et al., 2021).
Continuing, Bob could also not be training specific muscle groups enough, meaning keeping a
steady schedule of what groups he is hitting throughout the week and staying on top of that
schedule. There could also be small variables adding to him not seeing muscle growth like not
eating enough carbs or calories in general to not getting enough rest when his body and muscles
need it.
Last but not least, Bob Parker may not be aware of how genetic training can play a huge
role in strength and seeing massive development in muscle size. The idea that his fate is
preprogrammed by his genes and the environment he grew up in works together to shape his
responsiveness to training as an adult. The impact of genetics on VO2 max and training
responses play an important role as well. VO2 max is the maximum rate of oxygen consumption
measured during incremental exercise (Powers et al., 2021). VO2 max can vary in adults
depending upon their age, health, training status, and of course genetics. In other words, about
50% of an individual’s VO2 max is determined by genetics. Of this 50%, the newly identified
genes can only explain about 23% of the variation in an individual’s ability to be trained to
improve VO2 max (Powers et al., 2021). For example, Genetic training will show Bob why
exactly he may not be seeing positive development in his muscle size. By looking at his parents,
or even down the hereditary line, he can predetermine what his outcome could be if he worked
out or did not. Height and skeletal structure are heavily genetically influenced, and about 45% of
EXSC 510 CASE STUDY 4
muscle fiber type distribution seems to be explained by genetic factors (and the non-genetic
influences primarily occur during early childhood, which he also does not have much control
over). Now, Bob can achieve muscle growth, but if he were to base it on his genetics, and his
genetics are on the opposite side of allowing and helping him grow his muscles, he will need to
train harder and possibly even watch his diet to see the results he truly wants. In addition, if Bob
has not undergone genetic testing, he should try and set his focus more on hypertrophy training
and if that will get him the satisfaction, he is looking for regarding his muscle growth. In
contrast, if he has utilized all possibilities and now is leaning towards genetic testing, the results
will allow him to design better workouts, set more appropriate fitness goals, and motivate him to
work towards those goals. If Bob truly wants to see maximum muscle growth, researching his
genetics and how they play a role would provide important information for muscle growth and
training.
In conclusion, when it comes to training muscles, there are two broad varieties: strength
training and hypertrophy training. However, at some point, it is typically beneficial to decide if
Bob wants to focus on muscular strength, muscular size, or even both. Bob is increasing his
strength more and more, but not seeing his muscles grow even after being in his resistance
training program for three months simply because he might be training for strength rather than
hypertrophy training, or it could be his genetics playing a huge role in it as well. If Bob wants to
focus on getting bigger in a specific area, such as his shoulders, chest, or arms, he will need to
create a specific plan within his resistance training program that helps him add skeletal muscle
mass in these areas through hypertrophy. Both pieces of training are designed to use the principle
of progressive overload to break down muscle fibers, to build them back stronger and of a larger
quality, whereas genetic factors play a more important role in how to move forward with Bob’s
EXSC 510 CASE STUDY 5
progress and the intensity and duration he should have for the remainder of his resistance
training program (Powers et al., 2021).
Kanani Jackson
