Can stretching make muscles bigger even if you don’t squeeze them?
Efficacy of passive repetitive stretching of skeletal muscle on myofiber hypertrophy and genetic suppression on MAFbx, MuRF1, and myostatin
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Muscle fibers grew larger even though the mice didn’t actively contract their muscles.
Most people assume muscle growth only happens with resistance or active effort, like lifting weights. This shows mechanical tension alone—via passive stretch—can trigger hypertrophy.
Practical Takeaways
Incorporating regular passive stretching may help maintain muscle mass in immobilized individuals, such as during recovery or in paralysis.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Muscle fibers grew larger even though the mice didn’t actively contract their muscles.
Most people assume muscle growth only happens with resistance or active effort, like lifting weights. This shows mechanical tension alone—via passive stretch—can trigger hypertrophy.
Practical Takeaways
Incorporating regular passive stretching may help maintain muscle mass in immobilized individuals, such as during recovery or in paralysis.
Publication
Journal
Journal of Muscle Research and Cell Motility
Year
2021
Authors
Yumin Wang, Satoshi Ikeda, K. Ikoma
Related Content
Claims (6)
You can grow muscle not just by lifting weights, but also by stretching—just as long as the muscle feels enough tension, no matter how it's created.
Stretching mouse leg muscles regularly seems to turn on genes that help build muscle and repair muscle cells.
Stretching mice's leg muscles didn't change the number of muscle repair cells, suggesting their muscles still grew without using more of these cells.
Stretching mouse leg muscles regularly for two weeks seemed to make the muscle fibers grow bigger, which could mean the muscles got stronger at a microscopic level.
Stretching mice passively over time might help reduce the activity of genes that break down muscle and block muscle growth, suggesting it could help protect against muscle loss.