Final answer:
The statement is True. Children's strength gains are primarily due to neurological adaptations that improve the coordination and efficiency of motor units within their muscles. This is because of the concept of neuroplasticity, which allows for such neurological improvements, in contrast to hypertrophic growth which is more significant post-puberty.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that neurological factors, as opposed to hypertrophic factors, are primarily responsible for strength gains in children is True. In children, the nervous system is highly adaptable, a feature known as neuroplasticity.
During strength training, the improvement in a child's ability to produce force is largely due to enhanced coordination and efficiency in firing motor units within the muscles, rather than significant increases in muscle mass, or hypertrophy. The number of myofibers receiving an action potential from neurons becomes more efficient, leading to greater force production without a substantial increase in muscle size. Thus, the adaptation in the child's strength is mainly neurological.
As they grow, children's muscles do increase in size, but the initial gains in strength seen from strength training activities are more about the nervous system learning how to better activate those muscles. Hypertrophy, on the other hand, is a process where structural proteins are added to muscle fibers, increasing their diameter, generally more prominent in adolescents and adults after puberty.