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Research into Resistance Training Response Heterogeneity: a Summary of the 2025 Conference at the University of Jyväskylä | Journal of Applied Physiology | American Physiological Society
The Inter-Individual Variation in Resistance Training Response Conference was hosted at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland November 19-21, 2025. This paper summarizes key themes that emerged across lectures and discussions. First, resistance training induces multi-dimensional adaptations at the tissue, muscle fiber, and ultrastructural levels, including radial muscle fiber hypertrophy through increased myofibril number, longitudinal growth through sarcomere addition throughout the length (not ends) of muscle fibers, and metabolic adaptations that emulate other models of rapid cell growth. Second, training program variables including weekly sets, volume-load, rest interval duration, and training proximity to failure meaningfully influence hypertrophic outcomes in the general population, whereas exercise selection can be flexible. Third, age as well as molecular signatures prior to and in response to training influence inter-individual response heterogeneity. Finally, while inter-individual variability in observed hypertrophic responses is considerable, delineating true inter-individual variability from random variation remains challenging. Hence, study design considerations that can be thoughtfully applied to enhance rigor include repeat validation trials, unilateral within-subject designs, minimum clinically important difference thresholds, and multivariate composite responder classifications. This paper aims to summarize conference highlights while also providing meaningful implications for both researchers and practitioners and advancing current thinking on heterogeneity in the resistance training response.
