When guys who don't usually exercise try a special workout called pre-exhaustion training, they get 17% stronger in their legs—that's more than the 11% boost from regular workouts, probably because...

For guys who don't usually work out, doing a special type of leg exercise first leads to bigger strength gains than regular training over 9 weeks, probably because it targets muscles more specifically and adds extra low-effort reps.

A shorter, easier leg workout gives the same muscle and strength gains as a longer, harder one for beginners, even though you're doing less overall work.

A lighter warm-up exercise before heavier lifting gives the same muscle and strength gains as just doing the heavy lifting alone, even though you're doing less overall work.

If you lift heavy weights (80–85% of your max) instead of doing lots of lighter reps (60% of your max), your legs get stronger faster — after 6 weeks, you’ll likely gain 5–6 kg more in leg strength.

Older adults, even those over 85, can gain just as much leg strength as younger seniors from 12 weeks of regular weight training — and some even gain a bit more!