Editing Weakness (section)

====Neuromuscular fatigue====
[[Nerve]]s control the contraction of muscles by determining the number, sequence, and force of muscular contraction. When a nerve experiences [[synaptic fatigue]] it becomes unable to stimulate the muscle that it innervates. Most movements require a force far below what a muscle could potentially generate, and barring [[pathology]], neuromuscular fatigue is seldom an issue.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

For extremely powerful contractions that are close to the upper limit of a muscle's ability to generate force, neuromuscular fatigue can become a limiting factor in untrained individuals. In novice [[strength training|strength trainers]], the muscle's ability to generate force is most strongly limited by nerve's ability to sustain a [[rate coding|high-frequency signal]]. After an extended period of maximum contraction, the nerve's signal reduces in frequency and the force generated by the contraction diminishes. There is no sensation of pain or discomfort, the muscle appears to simply 'stop listening' and gradually cease to move, often [[Muscle contraction#Eccentric contraction|lengthening]]. As there is insufficient stress on the muscles and tendons, there will often be no [[delayed onset muscle soreness]] following the workout.  Part of the process of strength training is increasing the nerve's ability to generate sustained, high frequency signals which allow a muscle to contract with their greatest force.  It is this "neural training" that causes several weeks worth of rapid gains in strength, which level off once the nerve is generating maximum contractions and the muscle reaches its physiological limit. Past this point, training effects increase muscular strength through myofibrillar or sarcoplasmic [[Muscle hypertrophy#Strength training|hypertrophy]] and metabolic fatigue becomes the factor limiting contractile force.