You can get stronger by doing hard exercises just once a week—even if they’re tough—without your muscles staying damaged or sore.
Scientific Claim
Isokinetic resistance training performed at maximal effort once weekly for 10 weeks improves muscle strength in untrained men without inducing persistent muscle damage, regardless of contraction type.
Original Statement
“Twenty-four men... performed 10 weeks of isokinetic resistance exercise (one session/week of 75 maximal knee extensors actions)... no alterations in muscle damage biomarkers were observed after either exercise protocol... strength gains... were comparable between the two groups.”
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 RCT design with direct measurement of strength and biomarkers supports definitive causal language for this outcome.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Eccentric exercise per se does not affect muscle damage biomarkers: early and late phase adaptations
After doing one tough workout a week for 10 weeks, untrained men got stronger without their muscles staying sore or damaged—whether they pushed their muscles to lengthen or shorten. The initial soreness went away after a few sessions.