Why do muscles grow differently in different people?
Influence of intramuscular steroid receptor content and fiber capillarization on skeletal muscle hypertrophy
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Whole-muscle volume increased significantly (+7.22%) without significant changes in average fiber CSA.
It contradicts the common assumption that muscle growth is driven primarily by increases in individual fiber size. The disconnect suggests other mechanisms—like extracellular expansion or satellite cell activity—may contribute early in training.
Practical Takeaways
Improve baseline muscle capillarization through aerobic conditioning before starting intense resistance training to potentially enhance fiber growth.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Whole-muscle volume increased significantly (+7.22%) without significant changes in average fiber CSA.
It contradicts the common assumption that muscle growth is driven primarily by increases in individual fiber size. The disconnect suggests other mechanisms—like extracellular expansion or satellite cell activity—may contribute early in training.
Practical Takeaways
Improve baseline muscle capillarization through aerobic conditioning before starting intense resistance training to potentially enhance fiber growth.
Publication
Journal
Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports
Year
2024
Authors
K. Van Vossel, Julie Hardeel, Thibaux Van der Stede, Anneleen Weyns, Jan Boone, Silvia S. Blemker, W. Derave, E. Lievens
Related Content
Claims (4)
People new to weight training who have more of a certain protein in their muscles (called ERα) tend to gain more muscle size after 10 weeks of leg exercises — so this protein might help explain why some people build muscle faster than others.
If you're new to strength training, having more tiny blood vessels around your fast-twitch muscle fibers might help those muscles grow more when you start working out.
Doing 10 weeks of leg exercises that strengthen your knee muscles boosts one specific hormone receptor in your muscles (ERα), but doesn’t change two others (AR and ERβ).
If you're new to working out, doing leg exercises for 10 weeks can make one of your big thigh muscles grow bigger, even if the individual muscle fibers don't get thicker.