Why some guys get bigger muscles than others when lifting weights
Ribosome biogenesis adaptation in resistance training-induced human skeletal muscle hypertrophy.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
UBF phosphorylation was elevated at rest after training, but acute signaling pathways (ERK, mTOR, TIF-IA) didn’t change.
Most assume chronic training makes the body more sensitive to growth signals after each workout—but here, the immediate signal stayed flat while long-term ribosome production ramped up.
Practical Takeaways
Focus on consistent resistance training over time—muscle growth may depend more on long-term ribosome buildup than on single workout intensity or post-workout nutrition.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
UBF phosphorylation was elevated at rest after training, but acute signaling pathways (ERK, mTOR, TIF-IA) didn’t change.
Most assume chronic training makes the body more sensitive to growth signals after each workout—but here, the immediate signal stayed flat while long-term ribosome production ramped up.
Practical Takeaways
Focus on consistent resistance training over time—muscle growth may depend more on long-term ribosome buildup than on single workout intensity or post-workout nutrition.
Publication
Journal
American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism
Year
2015
Authors
V. Figueiredo, M. Caldow, V. Massie, J. Markworth, D. Cameron-Smith, A. Blazevich
Related Content
Claims (6)
Some people’s muscles grow way more than others when they lift weights, and this might be because their muscle cells make more of the tiny machines (ribosomes) that help build muscle protein.
If a young, healthy man lifts weights for 8 weeks, his muscles will likely get bigger—by about 6%, give or take a little.
When you lift weights, your muscles make more of the tiny molecular machines that build proteins, which helps them grow bigger.
After lifting weights, your muscles make more of a protein called Cyclin D1 quickly — not by turning on new genes, but by using existing instructions more efficiently, which might help your muscles adapt and grow.
After working out with weights for 8 weeks, your body keeps its protein-making machines more active even when you're resting, as if it's always ready to build more proteins.