When trained guys do lots of reps, they feel more tired, weaker longer, and more stressed than when they do fewer heavy reps — even though their muscles are damaged about the same.
Scientific Claim
In resistance-trained men, the acute physiological response to high-volume resistance exercise is characterized by greater neuromuscular fatigue, prolonged strength deficits, and elevated stress/inflammatory markers compared to high-intensity exercise, despite similar levels of muscle damage.
Original Statement
“Results indicate that high-volume resistance exercise results in greater performance deficits, and a greater extent of muscle damage, than a bout of high-intensity resistance exercise... [but] markers of muscle damage (LDH, CK, and Mb) were significantly elevated following both HV and HI...”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
definitive
Can make definitive causal claims
Assessment Explanation
The claim accurately synthesizes all measured outcomes and aligns with the authors’ conclusion. The use of 'characterized by' appropriately reflects the multifactorial causal pattern.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (0)
Contradicting (1)
Comparison of the recovery response from high-intensity and high-volume resistance exercise in trained men
The study found that doing many reps (high-volume) caused more muscle damage than doing heavy lifts with fewer reps (high-intensity), but the claim said the damage was about the same — so the claim is wrong on that point.