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This week, I was PUMPED to contribute this article to Greg Nuckols' awesome site (I've been amazed by
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July 14 · Issue #52 · View online
Hypertrophy｜Strength｜Nutrition
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This week, I was PUMPED to contribute this article to Greg Nuckols’ awesome site (I’ve been amazed by Greg’s work over the years): Training for Hypertrophy: The Case Against Muscle DamageIn this piece, I review the evidence on muscle damage. Does it really cause hypertrophy? I was surprised to find out that, after all, it probably doesn’t.
I would have been *shocked* to hear that 12 years ago, as an undergrad exercise scientist… At any rate, if you’re working out to damage your muscles and think you’ll grow faster that way, it may be time to reconsider. A promising way to build muscle is metabolic stress. Using techniques like rest-pause, you can build just as much (or more) muscle in half the workout time. If you’re curious to try it out, we’ve recently automated it in Dr. Muscle.
Happy reading. Your friend in science-based natural bodybuilding,
Carl Juneau, PhD
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Training for Hypertrophy: The Case Against Muscle Damage
Practical applications: training for muscular hypertrophy
Since it seems that damage only plays a minimal role in muscle hypertrophy, when training for hypertrophy, I’d recommend you focus on the other mechanisms of muscle growth (such as tension and metabolic stress).
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The development of skeletal muscle hypertrophy through resistance training: the role of muscle damage and muscle protein synthesis. - PubMed - NCBI
“Thus, we conclude that muscle damage is not the process that mediates or potentiates RT-induced muscle hypertrophy.”
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Resistance training-induced changes in integrated myofibrillar protein synthesis are related to hypertrophy only after attenuation of muscle damage. - PubMed - NCBI
Myofibrillar protein synthesis was correlated with muscle hypertrophy in beginners only after three weeks of training, when muscle damage was attenuated.
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Muscle damage and muscle remodeling: no pain, no gain? - PubMed - NCBI
“The results of this study suggest that muscle rebuilding - for example, hypertrophy - can be initiated independent of any discernible damage to the muscle.”
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Does blood flow restriction result in skeletal muscle damage? A critical review of available evidence. - PubMed - NCBI
“The available literature suggests that minimal to no muscle damage is occurring with [blood-flow-restriction] exercise.”
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» Reply to the letter to the Editor: âExercise-Induced Muscle Damage and Hypertrophy: A Closer Look Reveals the Jury is Still Outâ
I would agree with Damas et al.’s conclusion here that: “based on current evidence […] the hypothesis of damage having a minor (or even large) role in explaining or potentiating muscle hypertrophy is speculative at this point.”
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