The Claim
Eight weeks of resistance training alone, without protein or creatine supplementation, causes significant increases in fat-free mass, total body water, intracellular water, and extracellular water in trained adults.
What the research says
Supports is higher
Support is ahead, but a single strong opposing study can change this.
These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.
In trained adults, doing resistance training for eight weeks without any protein or creatine supplements results in measurable increases in muscle mass and body water levels.
See the scientific wording
Eight weeks of resistance training alone, regardless of protein or creatine supplementation, leads to significant increases in fat-free mass, total body water, intracellular water, and extracellular water in trained adults, indicating that the training stimulus is the primary driver of body composition changes.
When muscles are worked hard during resistance training, tiny tears form in muscle fibers and energy stores get depleted. This signals the body to repair and rebuild the muscle, pulling in more water and building more protein. The added protein and water make the muscle bigger and heavier, increasing both the inside and outside water content of the muscle cells.
What the research says
1 studyEveryone in the study did the same strength training for eight weeks, and all of them gained muscle and body water—even those who took nothing but sugar pills. This means the workouts themselves, not the supplements, caused the improvements.
Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.