The Claim

In postmenopausal women, increasing the volume of resistance training leads to greater muscle hypertrophy without a corresponding increase in muscle strength, indicating that these two adaptations are regulated by distinct physiological mechanisms.

Source: Resistance Training Volume Enhances Muscle Hypertrophy, but Not Strength in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

What the research says

Supports is higher

Support is ahead, but a single strong opposing study can change this.

Supports
61score
Challenges
0score

These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.

How it works
1 study reviewed
In plain English

In postmenopausal women, doing more resistance training sessions or sets builds more muscle size but does not improve strength, suggesting that muscle growth and strength gains follow different biological pathways.

See the scientific wording

In postmenopausal women, resistance training volume has a dissociated effect on muscle hypertrophy and strength, where higher volume increases muscle mass but not strength, suggesting that these adaptations are regulated by different physiological mechanisms.

Why this might work

Doing more sets of strength exercises makes muscle fibers grow larger by keeping them under tension longer, which tells the muscle to build more contractile proteins. But this doesn't make the nervous system send stronger signals to the muscles, so strength doesn't increase beyond a certain point.

Supported mechanismbased on 1 study

What the research says

1 study
  1. Study: Resistance Training Volume Enhances Muscle Hypertrophy, but Not Strength in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

    In older women, doing more sets of leg exercises made their muscles bigger, but didn’t make them stronger than doing fewer sets—so muscle growth and strength gains don’t always go hand in hand.

Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies

Fit Body Science verdict — we translate health claims into clear verdicts backed by peer-reviewed research.

Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.