Why do some people grow muscles faster than others?
Biomarkers associated with low, moderate, and high vastus lateralis muscle hypertrophy following 12 weeks of resistance training
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Low responders started with 12% thicker thighs than high responders, yet ended up with 12% thinner thighs after 12 weeks.
It contradicts the assumption that bigger muscles at baseline mean better growth potential — the opposite was true, and the gap flipped completely.
Practical Takeaways
Keep training consistently — even if you’re a 'low responder,' you’re still gaining strength and lean mass.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Low responders started with 12% thicker thighs than high responders, yet ended up with 12% thinner thighs after 12 weeks.
It contradicts the assumption that bigger muscles at baseline mean better growth potential — the opposite was true, and the gap flipped completely.
Practical Takeaways
Keep training consistently — even if you’re a 'low responder,' you’re still gaining strength and lean mass.
Publication
Journal
PLoS ONE
Year
2018
Authors
C. Mobley, Cody T Haun, Paul A. Roberson, Petey W. Mumford, Wesley C. Kephart, M. Romero, Shelby C. Osburn, C. Vann, Kaelin C. Young, Darren T. Beck, Jeffrey S. Martin, Christopher M. Lockwood, M. Roberts
Related Content
Claims (6)
Even if you don't get noticeably bigger from lifting weights, resistance training still helps you build muscle and get stronger in your legs and lower body. Everyone benefits, no matter how little they grow.
Even the muscles that are built for endurance can get bigger—like, over 10% bigger—if you do the right kind of strength training for a few months. This goes against what people used to think.
People who start working out with thinner thigh muscles tend to grow them bigger faster than those who start with thicker thighs—but how thick your muscles are at the beginning doesn’t tell you much about how much they’ll grow overall.
People who gain more muscle from weight training also tend to have more RNA in their muscles, but this only explains a tiny part—about 8%—of why they got bigger. So while RNA levels go up, they’re not really the main reason muscles grow.
Working out with weights can lower a specific inflammation signal in your muscles, especially in people who respond really well to exercise—but that drop in inflammation doesn’t seem to explain why some people get bigger muscles than others.