The effect of rate of force development on maximal force production: acute and training-related aspects

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The force generated during a maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) is known to increase by resistance training. Although this increase cannot be solely attributed to changes in the muscle itself, many studies examining muscle activation at peak force failed to detect neural adaptations with resistance training. However, the activation prior to peak force can have an impact on maximal force generation. This study aims at investigating the role of rate of force development (RFD) on maximal force during resistance training. Fourteen subjects carried out 5 days of isometric resistance training with dorsiflexion of the ankle with the instruction to generate maximal force. In a second experiment, 18 subjects performed the same task with the verbal instruction to generate maximal force (instruction I) and to generate force as fast and forcefully as possible (instruction II). The main findings were that RFD increased twice as much as the 16% increase in maximal force with training, with a positive association between RFD and force within the last session of training and between training sessions. Instruction II generated a higher RFD than instruction I, with no difference in maximal force. These findings suggest that the positive association between RFD and maximal force is not causal, but is mediated by a third factor. In the discussion, we argue for the third factor to be physiological changes affecting both aspects of a MVC or different processes affecting RFD and maximal force separately, rather than a voluntary strategic change of both aspects of MVC.