The Study
Load-induced human skeletal muscle hypertrophy: Mechanisms, myths, and misconceptions
This study is like a teacher summarizing what lots of other science experiments have found — it doesn’t do any new experiments itself. So it can tell you what most scientists think is true, but it can’t prove anything new.
Analysis score
Maximum 5 for a narrative review.
Where the score came from
Muscles grow because lifting weights pulls on them, turning on growth signals inside cells. Sweating, pump, or hormone spikes don’t make you bigger.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 51 / 100
Quality score
Based on clinical experience or non-systematic literature reviews. The lowest level of evidence as they are most susceptible to bias and personal perspective.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — this means realistic muscle gains are small and slow, not dramatic, and no amount of pump or supplements will change that.
- 2New lifters gain about 1.5 kg of muscle in 2–3 months.
- 3After that, gains slow down.
- 4Most people can’t naturally gain more than 25 kg of muscle above their starting point.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Sport and Health Science
Year
2025
Authors
Derrick W. Van Every, Matthew J Lees, Brandan Wilson, Jeff Nippard, Stuart M. Phillips
Related Content
Claims (9)
Scientists aren't sure if the burning feeling you get during a tough workout (called metabolic stress) actually helps your muscles grow, because it's always happening at the same time as the physical pulling on muscles—and we can't separate the two in people.
When you lift weights, the pulling force on your muscles is what makes them grow bigger—not because of hormones or feeling burned out, but because your muscles sense the tension and respond by building more muscle fibers.
Just because your muscles feel swollen and pumped after a workout doesn't mean they're going to get bigger over time—studies show that even if some people get way more pumped than others, they all end up with about the same muscle growth in the long run.
Even when your muscles burn and feel fatigued during a tough workout because of buildup of certain chemicals, that burning feeling itself doesn’t make your muscles grow bigger.
Even if your body releases a lot more of the 'muscle-building' hormones after a workout, it doesn’t mean you’ll grow more muscle than someone whose hormone levels stay low—studies show both groups end up with the same muscle size.
When your muscles contract or get stretched, the physical pull they feel is the main reason they grow bigger — it's like the muscle gets a signal from the tugging to grow more muscle fibers.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.