Electrocortical activity during resistance exercises in healthy young adults—a systematic review

<jats:sec><jats:title>Introduction</jats:title><jats:p>Resistance training (RT) is known to induce both peripheral and central adaptations, resulting in enhanced strength, sports performance, and health benefits. These adaptations are specific to the training stimuli. The acute cortical mechanisms of single sessions resistance exercise (RE) are not yet understood. Therefore, this review investigates the electrocortical activity during acute RE regarding the specific RE stimuli.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods</jats:title><jats:p>A systematic literature search was conducted across three databases, focusing on the acute electrocortical activity associated with the muscle contraction type, load, and volume of RE in healthy young adults.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>Out of an initial 1,332 hits, 19 studies were included for data synthesis. The findings from these studies show that the RE load, contraction type, and volume during RE significantly affect brain activity. The current literature exhibits methodological heterogeneity attributed to variations in study quality, differences in the location of cortical sources, the cortical outcome parameter and the use of diverse training interventions.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Discussion</jats:title><jats:p>Despite inconsistencies in the current literature, this review highlights the need to investigate time and frequency-specific characteristics when examining electrocortical activity during RE. More research is necessary to further explore the acute cortical mechanisms related to resistance exercise. Future research could improve our understanding of acute neural responses to RE and provide insights into mechanism underlying more long-term neuroplastic adaptations to RT.</jats:p></jats:sec>