Kyoto University · Medicine
Professor Tetsuya Hirono's research lab specializes in neuromuscular physiology and exercise science, focusing on the mechanisms underlying muscle adaptation to resistance training, time-of-day variations in neuromuscular function, and the effects of rapid weight cycling in athletes. The lab employs advanced imaging techniques such as ultrasonography to investigate muscle swelling, hypertrophy, and changes in muscle architecture in response to different training and recovery protocols. A key focus is understanding how metabolic stress, rest periods, and neural excitability influence muscle growth and performance, particularly in young and older adults as-well as elite athletes.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Hirono, T, Ikezoe, T, Taniguchi, M, Tanaka, H, Saeki, J, Yagi, M, Umehara, J, and Ichihashi, N. Relationship between muscle swelling and hypertrophy induced by resistance training. J Strength Cond Res 36(2): 359-364, 2022-Muscle swelling immediately after resistance exercise may be induced by metabolic stress. The accumulation of metabolic stress is considered to promote muscle hypertrophy after several weeks of resistance training (RT). The purpose of this study was to determine the relationshi
Age-related decline in circular gait speed was observed in older women aged ≥75 years, but not in older men. Maximal straight-line gait speed decreased significantly in both genders after the age of 70 years. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 404-410.
Intrinsic factors related to neuromuscular function are time-of-day dependent, but diurnal rhythms in neural and muscular components of the human neuromuscular system remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the time-of-day effects on neural excitability and muscle contractile properties by assessing the firing properties of tracked motor units and electrically evoked twitch muscle contraction. In 15 young adults (22.9 ± 4.7 yr), neuromuscular function was measured in the morning (
It is important to understand the effects of rapid changes in weight on neuromuscular functions of combat athletes. The purpose of this case study was to investigate time-course changes in muscle strength, muscle size, and neural input during rapid weight loss in a professional boxer. One professional male boxer (26 yr) participated in two matches during measurements: welterweight (66.6 kg; weight loss: WL) and super welterweight (69.85 kg; control: CON). His muscle contraction properties and bo
The effects of high-load resistance training on muscle strength and muscle mass depend on rest periods between sets. However, whether differences in rest period length during low-load resistance exercise (RE) has an influence on improving muscle characteristics remains unclear. Better understanding such effects would enable us to prescribe low-load resistance exercise more safely and effectivity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the acute effects of low-load RE on muscle swelling wit
Repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation (rPMS) is a non-invasive stimulator that can induce strong muscle contraction in selective regions. This study aimed to measure acute changes in skeletal muscle thickness induced by rPMS following a low-intensity exercise. Fifteen healthy young men performed an isometric knee extensor exercise at 30% of maximum strength consisting of three sets of 10 contractions on their dominant leg. rPMS was then applied on the vastus lateralis (VL) at the maximum in
Static stretching immediately affects various neuromusculoskeletal components. Among quadriceps muscles, only the rectus femoris (RF) is stretched by hip extension and knee flexion. The aim of this study was to investigate the motor unit (MU) firing behaviors of two synergistic muscles after selective static stretching on only one side. Fourteen males (23.7 ± 2.4 years) performed knee extension tasks before and after the intervention: static stretching or control conditions. The static stretchin
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