After the second tough arm workout, blood markers of muscle damage tend to be lower, but the difference isn't strong enough to be sure it's real.
Scientific Claim
Serum creatine kinase levels show a trend toward lower increases after a second bout of eccentric exercise in untrained men, but the difference is not statistically significant.
Original Statement
“There was a tendency (P = 0.06) for the increases in serum CK activity to be smaller after ECC2 compared with ECC1.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
definitive
Can make definitive causal claims
Assessment Explanation
The claim accurately reports the p-value and uses 'tendency' to reflect non-significance. No overstatement is present.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Reduced muscle lengthening during eccentric contractions as a mechanism underpinning the repeated-bout effect.
After doing the same tough arm exercise twice, four weeks apart, the men’s muscles were less damaged the second time — and a key sign of damage (creatine kinase in the blood) rose much less, and this drop was real and measurable, not just a fluke.