If you want to get stronger, doing your workouts more often helps—more than if you just want to get bigger muscles.

Scientific Claim

Resistance training frequency has a more consistent and measurable association with strength gains than with muscle hypertrophy in trained populations.

Original Statement

“The posterior probability of the marginal slope exceeding zero for frequency’s effect on hypertrophy was less than 100%, indicating compatibility with negligible effects. In contrast, the posterior probability for strength was 100%, suggesting strength gains increase with increasing frequency, albeit with diminishing returns.”

From study:The Resistance Training Dose Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gains.

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

overstated

Study Design Support

Design supports claim

Appropriate Language Strength

association

Can only show association/correlation

Assessment Explanation

The phrase 'suggesting strength gains increase with increasing frequency' implies causation. The study design only supports associative inference.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

The Resistance Training Dose Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gains.

Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

Human

2025 Dec 4

This study found that doing resistance training more often helps you get stronger in a clear, predictable way, but it doesn’t reliably help you build bigger muscles — so frequency matters more for strength than for muscle growth.

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

The Resistance Training Dose Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gains.

Score: 48

DOI: 10.1007/s40279-025-02344-w

Similar Assertions

Doing your workouts more often per week doesn’t seem to help you build more muscle, as long as the total amount of lifting stays the same.

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