Does changing your workout routine make you bigger?
Resistance training variable manipulations are less relevant than intrinsic biology in affecting muscle fiber hypertrophy
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Satellite cell and myonuclei content did not increase despite significant muscle fiber growth.
Common belief is that muscle growth requires new nuclei from satellite cells—this study shows hypertrophy can happen without them in trained individuals.
Practical Takeaways
Stick to a consistent resistance training routine—you don’t need to change exercises every week to maximize muscle growth.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Satellite cell and myonuclei content did not increase despite significant muscle fiber growth.
Common belief is that muscle growth requires new nuclei from satellite cells—this study shows hypertrophy can happen without them in trained individuals.
Practical Takeaways
Stick to a consistent resistance training routine—you don’t need to change exercises every week to maximize muscle growth.
Publication
Journal
Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports
Year
2022
Authors
Vitor Angleri, Felipe Damas, Stuart M Phillips, H. Selistre-de-Araújo, A. Cornachione, U. Stotzer, Natália Santanielo, S. D. Soligon, L. Costa, M. Lixandrão, M. Conceição, Felipe Cassaro Vechin, C. Ugrinowitsch, C. Libardi
Related Content
Claims (6)
Changing up your workout routine all the time—like switching exercises every week—won’t make your muscles grow bigger than sticking to the same routine, even if you do more total work in the varied version.
When you do weightlifting with changing resistance (like bands or machines that get harder or easier), your muscles briefly turn on a growth signal called MyoG more than with regular weights—but this doesn’t mean you’ll end up bigger in the long run.
If you're already fit and lift weights, your muscle cells don't seem to add more helper cells or nuclei, even when you change up your routine—meaning those extra cells might not be needed to make your muscles bigger.
If you're already used to lifting weights, it doesn't really matter if you change up how heavy you lift, how many reps you do, or how long you rest—your muscles will grow about the same either way.
When people lift weights, how much their muscles grow depends way more on their own body than on the type of workout they do—because even when people switch up their routines, their muscle growth stays pretty much the same.