In young, resistance-trained men, slow cadence resistance exercise increases mitochondrial protein synthesis by 175% and fast cadence resistance exercise increases mitochondrial protein synthesis by 126% during the 24–30 hour recovery period following exercise.

When muscles are worked under tension, whether slowly or quickly, the stress from energy use and muscle fiber activation triggers two separate but overlapping systems inside the muscle. One system responds to the buildup of metabolic byproducts and calcium, turning on mitochondrial production right after exercise. The other system, triggered by full muscle fiber recruitment, stays active for hours and combines with protein intake later to boost mitochondrial production during the next day. Both paths lead to more energy factories being made in the muscle.