Even though lifting weights makes young men’s hormones spike temporarily, those spikes don’t make their biceps grow bigger or stronger over 15 weeks—what really matters is what’s happening right inside the muscle itself.

45

Pro

0

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

45

Community contributions welcome

45

Elevations in ostensibly anabolic hormones with resistance exercise enhance neither training-induced muscle hypertrophy nor strength of the elbow flexors.

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2010 Jan

Even when guys got a big hormone boost after working out, their biceps grew and got stronger the same amount as when they didn’t get the boost—so the hormones didn’t help, and the muscles themselves must be doing the work.

Contradicting (0)

0

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No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Elevations in ostensibly anabolic hormones with resistance exercise enhance neither training-induced muscle hypertrophy nor strength of the elbow flexors.

Score: 45

DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.01147.2009

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