Women who did any kind of upper-body strength training ended up with thicker biceps than women who didn’t train their upper body at all.

Scientific Claim

Both drop-set and traditional strength training protocols result in greater muscle thickness in the elbow flexors compared to no upper-body training in young women after 12 weeks of intervention.

Original Statement

“Significantly higher values of MT were found in the training groups compared to the control group for all local measurements in T1 (p<0.05).”

From study:Drop set versus traditional strength training protocols equated in volume on muscle thickness in women

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

overstated

Study Design Support

Design cannot support claim

Appropriate Language Strength

association

Can only show association/correlation

Assessment Explanation

The abstract does not confirm randomization or control for baseline differences, so 'result in' implies causation. The correct verb strength is 'associated with'.

More Accurate Statement

“Both drop-set and traditional strength training protocols are associated with greater muscle thickness in the elbow flexors compared to no upper-body training in young women after 12 weeks of intervention.”

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Drop set versus traditional strength training protocols equated in volume on muscle thickness in women

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

Both ways of lifting weights—drop-set and traditional—made the biceps of young women thicker after 12 weeks, but the group that didn’t train their upper body didn’t get any thicker. So yes, both training methods work better than doing nothing.

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Drop set versus traditional strength training protocols equated in volume on muscle thickness in women

Score: 38

DOI: 10.47197/retos.v61.100701

Similar Assertions

After 12 weeks of training with the same total workload, neither method made the biceps noticeably thicker than the other.

96%

Doing bicep curls with two different methods—either lowering the weight gradually or keeping it heavy—both made the upper arm muscles thicker in young women after 12 weeks of training.

92%

After doing bicep curls 24 times over 12 weeks, women’s upper arm muscles got noticeably thicker, no matter which way they did the curls.

89%

Both ways of lifting weights — regular sets and drop sets — make your biceps and forearms a little bigger after 10 weeks, by about 2%.

80%

Doing regular weightlifting reps with full rest between sets builds a tiny bit more arm muscle than doing drop sets on a smart machine, but the difference is so small it doesn’t really matter in real life.

78%