What is primarily responsible for strength gains in beginning clients? Neural adaptations come first

In the first few weeks of lifting, neural adaptations are primarily responsible for strength gains in beginning clients, often before large increases in muscle size are measurable.^{[1] [2]} A novice can add weight to the bar quickly, and in one 21 week study, men without a strength training background improved maximal force more than five times as much as strength athletes.^[3]

Key takeaways

• Early strength gains in new lifters are driven mainly by neural adaptations for roughly the first few weeks, while hypertrophy becomes a larger contributor later.^{[1] [2]}
• In a 21 week study, untrained men increased maximal force by 20.9 percent, compared with 3.9 percent in strength trained men.^[3]
• Muscle size grows too, but more slowly. The same untrained men gained 5.6 percent in quadriceps cross sectional area over 21 weeks.^[3]
• In a 2018 meta analysis, total protein intakes above about 1.6 g/kg/day (about 0.7 g/lb/day) produced no further lean mass gain during resistance training.^[4] The International Society of Sports Nutrition considers 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg/day sufficient for most exercising people.^[5]
• The neural contribution is largest early in a program, and continued progress depends more on muscle growth, which responds to training frequency, intensity, and volume.^{[2] [6]}

Why beginners get strong fast

Beginning clients usually get stronger first because their nervous system adapts to the lift faster than their muscles grow. According to a 1979 study in the American Journal of Physical Medicine that followed a small group of young adults through 8 weeks of strength training, neural factors accounted for most of the initial strength gain, and hypertrophy became the dominant factor only after the first 3 to 5 weeks.^[1] A 2007 review in Sports Medicine reached a similar conclusion: neurological factors, including learning and coordination, likely make their greatest contribution in the early stages of a program, although hypertrophic processes also begin at the start of training.^[2]

That does not mean muscle growth is absent. In a 2003 European Journal of Applied Physiology study, 21 weeks of training raised maximal force by 20.9 percent and quadriceps cross sectional area by 5.6 percent in eight men without a strength training background, compared with 3.9 percent and a 1.8 percent decrease in eight strength athletes.^[3] Basal hormone levels did not change significantly in either group.^[3] New lifters simply have the most room to improve.

The main early changes are better activation of existing muscle, better coordination between muscles, and faster force production.^{[2] [7]} Muscle size matters more as training months accumulate, and its growth depends on training frequency, intensity, and volume.^[6]

How the early strength effect works

These neural changes have been measured with electromyography (EMG), which records the electrical activity of muscle, and with related techniques.^{[2] [7]}

Better motor unit recruitment

A motor unit is one motor nerve cell and all the muscle fibers it controls. According to a 1988 review in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, strength training can help a trainee more fully activate the prime movers in a movement, and EMG studies provide the most direct evidence for this.^[7] The 2007 review by Folland and Williams describes the measured increases in agonist muscle activation as small but significant.^[2]

Sharper coordination and technique

Intermuscular coordination means multiple muscles working together in the right sequence. As practice accumulates, a man’s squat, press, deadlift, or row becomes better coordinated, so the same muscle mass produces more net force in the intended direction.^[7] Folland and Williams describe changes in intermuscular coordination as critical, and the specificity of strength gains to the trained movement is one of the main lines of evidence for neural adaptation.^{[2] [7]}

Faster firing and force development

Rate coding is the frequency of nerve impulses sent to a muscle. In a 2002 Journal of Applied Physiology study of 15 men who completed 14 weeks of heavy resistance training, maximal isometric quadriceps strength rose from 291 to 339 N·m and rate of force development increased.^[8] EMG amplitude in the first 200 milliseconds of contraction rose 22 to 143 percent, which the authors attributed to greater neural drive.^[8] Folland and Williams conclude that higher firing frequency and spinal reflex changes most likely explain the gains in muscle activation.^[2]

Hypertrophy catches up later

Hypertrophy is an increase in the cross sectional area of whole muscle and individual fibers, driven by growth in the size and number of myofibrils.^[2] According to the 2007 Sports Medicine review by Wernbom and colleagues, muscle growth follows dose response relationships with training frequency, intensity, and volume, and with enough of each, dynamic, isokinetic, and isometric training can all produce significant hypertrophy.^[6] Strength still tends to rise faster than size: in the 21 week study, untrained men’s maximal force rose almost four times as much in percentage terms as their quadriceps cross sectional area.^[3]

When hormones deserve a look

Testosterone deficiency can affect energy, libido, and lean mass, but male hypogonadism is a clinical syndrome, not a single lab value. According to the Endocrine Society guideline, the diagnosis requires symptoms and signs consistent with testosterone deficiency plus unequivocally and consistently low morning testosterone, confirmed on repeat testing.^[9] When total testosterone is near the lower limit of normal or a condition alters sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), the guideline recommends measuring free testosterone by equilibrium dialysis or estimating it with an accurate formula.^[9]

What can blunt or distort beginner gains

Training history, protein intake, training volume, and symptomatic testosterone deficiency can all affect how large early gains turn out to be.

Being already trained. The largest factor linked to smaller gains is simply not being a beginner anymore. In the 21 week study, the men without a strength training background gained more than five times as much maximal force as the strength athletes.^[3] The study also found correlations between testosterone responses and gains in strength or muscle size, but these came from groups of eight men, so whether short lived hormone rises after a workout predict who gains the most remains uncertain.^[3]

Protein intake that is too low. A 2018 meta analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine pooled 49 randomized trials with 1,863 participants and found that protein supplementation during at least 6 weeks of resistance training added about 2.5 kg to one repetition maximum strength and 0.3 kg to fat free mass.^[4] Total protein intakes above about 1.6 g/kg/day produced no further gain in fat free mass.^[4] The benefit for fat free mass was larger in people who were already resistance trained and smaller with increasing age.^[4] For a 180 pound (82 kg) man, 1.6 g/kg/day is about 130 grams of protein.

Too much volume, too soon. A 2010 meta analysis in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that multiple sets per exercise were associated with about 40 percent larger hypertrophy effect sizes than single sets, in both trained and untrained subjects, but 4 to 6 sets per exercise were not significantly better than 2 to 3.^[10] Novices who are still learning technique and adapting to a new training stress do not need long sessions to progress, and a short list of repeatable lifts gives more practice at each movement.

Symptomatic low testosterone. Persistent fatigue, low libido, fewer morning erections, poor recovery, and slow lean mass gains despite consistent training put testosterone deficiency on the list. The 2018 AUA guideline recommends measuring LH in men with low testosterone, because high LH with low testosterone points to primary hypogonadism, while low or normal LH points to secondary hypogonadism.^[11] FSH is usually measured alongside LH. The type of hypogonadism guides treatment, and the Endocrine Society recommends against testosterone therapy in men planning fertility in the near term.^[9]

Signs your early gains are mostly neural

True beginner strength gains usually show up as better performance before obvious size changes.

• You add weight to a lift within the first 2 to 4 weeks, for example 5 to 20 pounds, but your arms, chest, or thighs do not look noticeably bigger yet.
• The same weight feels steadier. The bar path is cleaner, your setup is more repeatable, and you stop wobbling at the bottom of the squat or bench.
• You get more reps with the same load. For example, a set that was 135 pounds for 5 becomes 135 for 8, even if scale weight is unchanged.
• One exact movement improves fast, while a similar one lags. Your barbell bench may jump quickly, but your dumbbell press or dip strength may take longer. That pattern fits the specificity of neural adaptation.^{[2] [7]}
• Soreness fades after the first few weeks, yet performance keeps rising. That is normal and reflects the repeated bout effect, in which muscles become less sore after repeated exposure to the same exercise, not a failed program.
• Red flag pattern. After 8 to 12 weeks of consistent training, sleep, and protein, your numbers stay flat and you also notice low libido, fewer morning erections, or major daytime fatigue. At that point, recovery or a hormone workup becomes more relevant than changing exercises.

Myth vs fact

Myth: Beginners get strong mainly because their muscles grow right away.

Fact: According to a 1979 training study and a 2007 review on the time course of strength adaptation, neural factors dominate the earliest gains, while hypertrophy becomes more important later.^{[1] [2]}

Myth: Only heavy singles and doubles build beginner strength.

Fact: A 2017 systematic review and meta analysis of 21 studies, with all sets taken to muscular failure, found that loads at or below 60 percent of one repetition maximum built muscle as well as heavier loads, while heavier loads produced larger gains in one repetition maximum strength.^[12] Beginners usually need technical practice and progressive loading more than all out max attempts.

Myth: More sets are always better for novices.

Fact: Multiple sets per exercise produced larger hypertrophy effects than single sets in a 2010 meta analysis, but 4 to 6 sets were not significantly better than 2 to 3.^[10] If added sets wreck technique or recovery, they stop being productive.

Myth: If you train hard enough, protein barely matters.

Fact: The International Society of Sports Nutrition considers 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg/day of protein sufficient for most exercising people.^[5] A 2018 meta analysis found that protein supplementation increased gains in strength and fat free mass during resistance training, with no added lean mass above about 1.6 g/kg/day.^[4] Resistance exercise and protein intake each stimulate muscle protein synthesis, and the two act synergistically when protein is eaten before or after training.^[5]

What to do if you want better beginner gains

Early strength improves fastest with consistent practice of a few big lifts, enough protein, and attention to medical issues that impair recovery.

1. Run a simple progressive program for 8 to 12 weeks. Pick 4 to 6 foundational lifts, such as squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press, row, and pull down or pull up. Train them 2 to 4 times per week, keep most working sets in the 5 to 10 rep range, and add small load jumps when you complete all prescribed reps with clean form. Strength gains are specific to the trained movement, so repeating the same lifts matters.^[2] Heavier loads produce larger gains in one repetition maximum strength,^[12] and more than one set per exercise supports more muscle growth.^[10]
2. Support the training with food and recovery. Aim for about 1.4 to 2.0 g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, roughly 0.65 to 0.9 g per pound, spread across meals in servings of about 20 to 40 grams.^[5] For a 180 pound man, that is about 115 to 165 grams per day. Total intakes above about 1.6 g/kg/day added no further lean mass in the 2018 meta analysis.^[4] If muscle gain is a goal, a small calorie surplus of about 5 to 10 percent is usually more useful than crash dieting. Sleep 7 to 9 hours per night and keep alcohol modest.
3. If progress is poor despite consistency, look for a medical cause. Men with persistent symptoms should get morning labs that include total testosterone measured with an accurate assay, repeated to confirm a low result, plus free testosterone when total testosterone is borderline or SHBG may be abnormal.^[9] LH should be measured too, usually with FSH, because it separates primary from secondary hypogonadism, and the two are treated differently.^[11]

Veedma offers testing that includes total and free testosterone measured by LC-MS/MS with LH and FSH, or a review of labs you already have. Licensed providers review the results and, when appropriate, prescribe enclomiphene or the enclomiphene plus tadalafil tablet. Enclomiphene is not an FDA-approved drug; it is prescribed after a provider confirms the diagnosis and is compounded by a licensed U.S. pharmacy.

Bottom line

Neural adaptations are primarily responsible for strength gains in beginning clients. Beginners get stronger first because they learn to use the muscle they already have more effectively, while hypertrophy becomes a bigger driver after the first several weeks and months.^{[1] [2]}

References

1. Moritani T, deVries HA. Neural factors versus hypertrophy in the time course of muscle strength gain. Am J Phys Med. 1979;58:115-30. PMID: 453338
2. Folland JP, Williams AG. The adaptations to strength training : morphological and neurological contributions to increased strength. Sports Med. 2007;37:145-68. PMID: 17241104
3. Ahtiainen JP, Pakarinen A, Alen M, et al. Muscle hypertrophy, hormonal adaptations and strength development during strength training in strength-trained and untrained men. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2003;89:555-63. PMID: 12734759
4. Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52:376-384. PMID: 28698222
5. Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:20. PMID: 28642676
6. Wernbom M, Augustsson J, Thomeé R. The influence of frequency, intensity, volume and mode of strength training on whole muscle cross-sectional area in humans. Sports Med. 2007;37:225-64. PMID: 17326698
7. Sale DG. Neural adaptation to resistance training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1988;20:S135-45. PMID: 3057313
8. Aagaard P, Simonsen EB, Andersen JL, et al. Increased rate of force development and neural drive of human skeletal muscle following resistance training. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2002;93:1318-26. PMID: 12235031
9. Bhasin S, Brito JP, Cunningham GR, et al. Testosterone Therapy in Men With Hypogonadism: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2018;103:1715-1744. PMID: 29562364
10. Krieger JW. Single vs. multiple sets of resistance exercise for muscle hypertrophy: a meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res. 2010;24:1150-9. PMID: 20300012
11. Mulhall JP, Trost LW, Brannigan RE, et al. Evaluation and Management of Testosterone Deficiency: AUA Guideline. J Urol. 2018;200:423-432. PMID: 29601923
12. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, et al. Strength and Hypertrophy Adaptations Between Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31:3508-3523. PMID: 28834797