Lifting weights makes your muscles start building more protein right after the workout, and mixing up your routine a little bit gives your muscles a tiny extra boost right after lifting—but in the long run, both routines build about the same amount of muscle.

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Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

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Community contributions welcome

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Myofibrillar protein synthesis and muscle hypertrophy individualised responses to systematically changing resistance training variables in trained young men.

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2019 Sep 1

The study found that changing up your workout routine slightly makes your muscles produce more protein right after exercise, but it doesn’t make your muscles grow bigger than doing the same routine over time. So, more protein activity doesn’t always mean more muscle growth.

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No contradicting evidence found

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According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Myofibrillar protein synthesis and muscle hypertrophy individualised responses to systematically changing resistance training variables in trained young men.

Score: 46

DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00350.2019

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