The Study
Psychological stress impairs short-term muscular recovery from resistance exercise.
This study shows that students who said they were more stressed didn’t get their muscle strength back as quickly after a hard workout. But we can’t say for sure that stress caused the slower recovery — it just shows they go together.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
If your body is under a lot of stress from life, your muscles might not bounce back as quickly after a hard workout.
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 539 / 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 matters—especially for athletes or people working out hard, because slower muscle recovery can affect performance and progress over time.
- 2For every 100 young people who lift weights, those with more stress in their lives recovered muscle strength about 9% slower in the first hour after exercise.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Medicine and science in sports and exercise
Year
2012
Authors
M. Stults-Kolehmainen, J. Bartholomew
Related Content
Claims (5)
If young adults feel more stressed, their muscles might not recover as quickly after a tough workout — and this isn't just because of how fit they are or how hard they worked out.
If you're a young adult lifting heavy weights, being under more long-term stress might slow down how quickly your muscles bounce back in the hour after your workout — even if you're fit and used to training hard.
Stress doesn't seem to change how quickly young adults feel less tired or sore right after a hard workout.
Stress from life events might slow down how quickly young adults who work out regularly can regain muscle strength after a tough workout — and it could be a pretty big factor, even if they're fit.
If you're under a lot of long-term stress, your muscles might not bounce back as well after a tough workout, and you might feel more tired and sore than usual.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.