You don’t need to feel sore or have high blood markers to get stronger—your muscles can adapt and grow without damage.

Scientific Claim

Muscle damage biomarkers are not necessary for achieving strength gains in resistance training, as comparable increases in strength were observed in both eccentric and concentric groups despite absence of damage after adaptation.

Original Statement

“Exercise-induced muscle damage is not a prerequisite for increased muscle strength.”

From study:Eccentric exercise per se does not affect muscle damage biomarkers: early and late phase adaptations

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 comparison of strength and biomarker outcomes supports definitive causal language for this claim.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Eccentric exercise per se does not affect muscle damage biomarkers: early and late phase adaptations

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2021 Feb

Even though one group did exercises that initially hurt more, both groups got equally stronger by the end—and by then, neither group had any muscle damage. So, you don’t need sore or damaged muscles to get stronger.

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Eccentric exercise per se does not affect muscle damage biomarkers: early and late phase adaptations

Score: 58

DOI: 10.1007/s00421-020-04528-w

Similar Assertions

Just because your muscles aren’t sore or your blood doesn’t show damage markers doesn’t mean you’re not getting stronger—your body can adapt without those signs.

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You don’t need to tear your muscles to make them stronger—your nervous system and muscle fibers can adapt and grow without damage.

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Progressive exposure to identical resistance training stimuli results in progressive reductions in muscle damage markers and accelerated recovery kinetics.

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You can get just as strong by pushing weights up as by lowering them slowly—even if lowering them doesn’t make your muscles sore or damaged.

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Both heavy lifting with few reps and light lifting with many reps cause muscle damage, but neither does it more than the other.

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