The Study
Disuse and subsequent recovery resistance training affect skeletal muscle angiogenesis related markers regardless of prior resistance training experience.
This study watches what happens in people's muscles over time when they stop using their legs and then start strength training again. It can show that certain muscle changes happen along with training, but it can't prove that the training directly caused them.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
When a muscle isn't used for a while, it gets smaller. Then when you start using it again with exercise, it grows back. This study looked at what happens inside the muscle during this process, especially the tiny blood vessels.
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 538 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes, this shows that even if you lose muscle from not moving, you can rebuild it with training, and your body adds more blood supply as it grows back.
- 2After 2 weeks of not using a leg muscle, young people lost muscle.
- 3Then after 8 weeks of strength training, their muscle fibers got 20-25% bigger and had more capillaries.
- 4These changes happened no matter if they were fit before or not.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of applied physiology
Year
2025
Authors
Mason C McIntosh, J. M. Michel, Joshua S Godwin, Daniel L. Plotkin, Derick A. Anglin, Madison L. Mattingly, Anthony Agyin-Birikorang, Nicholas J. Kontos, Harsimran S. Baweja, M. Stock, C. B. Mobley, Michael D. Roberts
Related Content
Claims (4)
How well you bounce back from and get stronger with weight training depends on how experienced you are and things like how well you sleep, what you eat, and how stressed you feel.
When young adults stop using a limb for 2 weeks and then do 8 weeks of strength training, their muscles show signs of rebuilding blood vessels—even if they’ve never trained before.
If young adults stop using a limb for two weeks and then do eight weeks of strength training, their muscle fibers get bigger and gain more blood supply.
If you've lifted weights before, it doesn't make a difference in how your muscles rebuild blood vessels during rest and recovery after not using them, compared to someone who hasn't trained before.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.