It is normal for the muscles to

increase in size as a result of

resistance training?
The adaptation of the body to regular
resistance exercise is commonly found in the
nervous and musculoskeletal system. The
neural changes help in activating more
muscle during movement. The
musculoskeletal structures adapt to increase
force production
capacity and resists fatigue. These adaptation
happen at the cellular level after several months
of regular training.
The primary adaptation from resistance
training is an increase in the ability of the muscle
to generate force or strength. This is made
possible by an increase in muscle fiber size or
hypertrophy that commonly starts after two
months of resistance exercise. The increase in
muscle fiber size occurs as more contractile
elements and fuel stores are deposited inside
the
muscle cell. The connective tissues such as
tendons and ligaments are able to withstand
the greater forces produced by the
hypertrophied muscles.
 How important is stretching
exercise in improving
performance?
Stretching exercises are important in improving
range of motion around the joints. The evident
effects of stretching exercises are felt when an
athlete suffers an injury or when a person gets
older. When the joint condition deteriorates as
a result injury or aging, the muscle surrounding
the joint lose elasticity, leading to stiffness. Join
stiffness makes an ordinary movement such as
raising the arm difficult and painful.
Join stiffness increase the risk of re-injury during
sports competition.
The limb is move to its entire range of motion,
the muscle-tendon unit gets stretched. The
muscle-tendon unit has an elastic property that
enables it to return to its original shape or
length. Exercise that address the flexibility of a
joint will improve muscle coordination,
connective tissue elasticity,
and overall joint strength. Flexibility training
improves the efficiency of movement.
Furthermore, the increased elasticity of the
muscles and the surrounding connective tissues
increase the range of movement without
resulting to injury. A regular stretching routine
will also help correct muscle imbalance and
improve posture.