What is meant by muscular strength?

Muscular strength specifically refers to the maximum amount of force that a muscle or a group of muscles can produce in a single effort. This definition captures the essence of what muscular strength is all about: it is not about how long a person can exert force over time (which would relate more to endurance), nor is it concerned with how quickly a person can move or the overall mass of muscle tissue in the body.

Understanding muscular strength is crucial for various fitness goals, as it serves as the foundation for building more complex physical capabilities, including power and endurance. In strength training, increasing muscular strength typically involves performing exercises that challenge the muscles' capacity to lift heavy weights for a few repetitions, focusing on the maximum effort exerted rather than the duration or speed of the activity.