How Many Do You Nonetheless Imagine?
Health and train science has exploded over the previous decade. In the end a younger discipline, sports activities science has been capable of reply many questions on coaching and its results on our our bodies. It is also proven us to be incorrect about many beliefs we had.
Nevertheless, many of those beliefs nonetheless persist and have entered the territory of changing into “health myths”. Some are merely fascinating, whereas some can really affect your coaching.
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Key Factors You Want To Know!
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1. Is Muscle Development Induced By Micro-Trauma?
The Declare: “It is advisable tear down your muscle so it grows again greater.”
Actuality: Muscle hypertrophy happens by 3 mechanisms (Schoenfeld, 2010).:
- Mechanical stress,
- Metabolic stress,
- Muscle harm
Whereas muscle harm is considered one of these, fashionable analysis has demonstrated that the first mechanism is probably going mechanical stress, with metabolic harm coming in second.
Muscle harm appears to play a job, however it’s not even essential for muscle progress to happen. On the identical time, muscle harm can happen with out progress, as in downhill working.
Science-Backed Assist: In 2012, Dr. Brad Schoenfeld performed one of many first intensive critiques analyzing the position of muscle harm in hypertrophy. At this stage, there was nonetheless a big query mark behind the connection.
Schoenfeld concluded that muscle harm appears to play a job in hypertrophy, however it’s not essential.
“Though analysis means that eccentric train has higher hypertrophic results in contrast with different kinds of actions, a cause-and-effect relationship instantly linking these features to EIMD (muscle harm) is but to be established.”
Throughout a latest intensive overview, Behringer et al. (2025) examined all research on the various drivers of muscle hypertrophy. Whereas muscle harm could play a job in muscle progress, they concluded it’s not essential.
“In conclusion, whereas muscle harm could contribute to hypertrophy, it’s not a essential situation for muscle progress. Different mechanisms, reminiscent of mechanical stress and metabolic stress, play extra central roles in selling hypertrophy.”
When mechanical stress (resistance coaching) is carried out at increased intensities, muscle harm is prone to happen as a byproduct; this explains the correlation.
2. Does Lactic Acid Trigger Muscle Burn?
The Declare: “The burning you’re feeling in your muscle is attributable to lactic acid, so you could let it clear.”
Actuality: When performing high-intensity train, your physique depends on the anaerobic glycolysis system to supply ATP by the manufacturing of lactate, not lactic acid.
When the train is simply too intense and lasts too lengthy, it may well elicit a burning sensation in working muscle mass. This is attributable to a buildup of H+ ions, a byproduct from the production of ATP. It is this buildup of H+ that decreases blood pH and causes the burning sensation (Brooks, 2009).
Science-Backed Assist: To grasp the confusion, you could perceive a number of processes and compounds.
- Glycolysis- A Metabolic course of that produces ATP throughout increased depth work when oxygen just isn’t current
- Lactate- The top byproduct of glycolysis, which is then used to supply extra ATP
- Lactic Acid- A positively charged type of Lactate with a H+ ion connected
- H+ ions- A metabolic byproduct of glycolysis
Initially, it was believed that the method went like this;
- Pyruvate → Lactic Acid → Lactate + H+ ion.
Nevertheless, this was roughly an informed guess. New analysis now means that lactic acid would not even exist!
“...there isn’t a such entity as lactic acid in any dwelling cell or physiological system. Certainly, it’s unattainable, based mostly on the elemental legal guidelines of physics……..and physiology, for lactic acid to be produced or current in dwelling methods the place mobile and tissue pH is regulated to be between 6.0 and seven.45.” (Robergs et. al, 2018)
So, whereas the burn is probably going attributable to the buildup of H+ ions, it is unclear at what level the H+ ions are produced. Much more fascinating, lactate is an effective factor and is believed to buffer excessive pH ranges, the precise reverse of what causes burning.
“If muscle didn’t produce lactate, acidosis and muscle fatigue would happen extra shortly, and train efficiency could be severely impaired.” (Robergs et. al, 2004)
| Take Away: This is without doubt one of the myths that does not actually have any adverse results, until it is getting used to promote a complement or product. It is simply fascinating to know! |
3. Does DOMS Imply a Good Exercise?
The Declare: “You realize you bought a great exercise while you get up sore.”
Actuality: Whereas we perceive the premise, DOMS does not indicate you had a good workout. All DOMS means is your muscle skilled some trauma and has not recovered; this might be attributable to poor sleep or poor vitamin.
The truth is, researchers aren’t even fairly certain what causes DOMS. Regardless, take into account these details;
- Completely different persons are extra prone to DOMS in numerous areas of their our bodies.
- Completely different folks skilled DOMS at completely different ranges from related exercises
- Completely different physique elements are inclined to expertise DOMS to various levels, e.g., the dreaded leg day.
- DOMS tends to lower as you turn into extra skilled
In different phrases, there isn’t any direct correlation that you would use to find out the effectiveness of a exercise with the extent of DOMS.
Science-Backed Assist: As we mentioned above, there isn’t a proof of a relationship between muscle harm and hypertrophy. As DOMS is related to muscle harm, it follows that it too has no direct relation with muscle hypertrophy both (Nosaka et al., 2003; Schoenfeld, 2012)
Nevertheless, analysis has additionally proven there is a poor connection between DOMS and muscle harm as effectively.
“It seems that DOMS is a poor indicator of exercise-induced muscle harm, and the magnitude of DOMS doesn’t essentially mirror the magnitude of muscle harm.” (Nosaka et al, 2003)
| Take Away: Do not judge your workout by DOMS. Whereas it may well really feel good, particularly after you have not shortly, it would not mirror a superior exercise. As a substitute, the standard of your exercise ought to be based mostly in your numbers and utility of progressive overload. |
4. Does Fasted Train Burn Extra Fats?
The Declare: “When your physique is depleted of carbs (glycogen), your physique will burn extra fats.”
Actuality: This one is nuanced however primarily comes all the way down to conflating “burning fats” with “shedding fats”.
Fats is your physique’s major supply of gas. This means you might be at all times burning fats, even throughout very high-intensity exercise or whereas sleeping.
Once you quick, you deplete your body’s glycogen stores. Subsequently, exercising in a fasted state forces your physique to burn fats “extra successfully”. Emphasis on “extra successfully”.
However this doesn’t imply you are shedding fats. Once more, your physique is at all times utilizing fats.
Science-Backed Assist: In 2014, Schoenfeld et al. performed an experiment evaluating weight reduction throughout cardio carried out fasted vs. fed.
Each teams had been in a caloric deficit, with all different components held fixed. After this system, each teams misplaced weight, however there was no important distinction between the 2.
“In conclusion, our findings point out that physique composition adjustments related to cardio train along with a hypocaloric food regimen are related no matter whether or not or not a person is fasted earlier than coaching.” (Schoenfeld et. al, 2014)
| Take Away: We need to be clear, we’re not anti fasted exercises. As well as, we consider being metabolically flexible is an excellent factor. It simply implies that in the end, fats loss will come from a caloric deficit. Do not get confused with “burning fats” and “shedding fats.” |
5. EMG Means Extra Development
The Declare: “The research reveals higher EMG, so it is a greater train.”
Actuality: This one is a little more technical. Nevertheless, it is important to deal with it as it is a frequent supply of confusion.
EMG stands for Electromyography and is a measurement {of electrical} exercise produced by muscle fibers when activated by the neuromuscular system. Nevertheless, many components change EMG readings, reminiscent of;
- Particular a part of the motion or joint angle
- Fatigue
- Complete load
On the identical time, different components have an effect on hypertrophy as effectively, and EMG doesn’t routinely point out higher muscle progress.
We are able to show it: Flex your biceps as exhausting as you’ll be able to. EMG readings would have fired, however you are by no means going to construct important muscle mass with simply flexing.
Utilizing EMG permits researchers to learn muscle activation sequences, evaluate actions, and predict the effectiveness of an train. Actually, we’ve written articles on the best exercises for body parts according to EMG!
Science-Backed Assist: In 2017, Vygotsky et al. performed a overview of EMG and its use in analysis to foretell long-term hypertrophy features. They concluded that, attributable to a variety of misconceptions and unaccounted-for variables, EMG was not a predictor of muscle hypertrophy.
” Given the restricted proof validating the amplitude of floor electromyograms as a predictor of longitudinal hypertrophic variations, coupled with its weak mechanistic basis, we recommend that acute comparative research that want to assess stimulus efficiency be met with scrutiny.”
Later, in 2022, Vigotsky et al. once more addressed this problem with examples: low-load and high-load coaching could yield completely different EMG readings, but each lead to related hypertrophy when taken to proximal failure.
“…present extra information that unequal EMG amplitudes are obtained throughout fatiguing contractions with low-load and high-load situations and the novel discovering that each situations elicit related RPE.”
| Take Away: Whereas EMG is usually a instrument to establish a great train, you could take a look at the larger image. |
For instance, the incline bench press will produce higher EMG within the higher chest than the flat bench press. Since each workout routines enable heavier masses, with comparatively related motion patterns (horizontal pushing), the incline will doubtless result in higher upper-chest growth.
EMG is simply part of the puzzle, and even nonetheless, it is not absolutely understood.
References
- Behringer, M., Heinrich, C., & Franz, A. (2025). Anabolic alerts and muscle hypertrophy: Significance for energy coaching in sports activities drugs. Sports activities Orthopaedics and Traumatology, 41(Suppl 1). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0949328X2500002X
- Brooks, G. A. (2009). Cell–cell and intracellular lactate shuttles. Journal of Physiology, 587(23), 5591–5600. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2009.178350
- Brooks, G. A. (2020). The science and translation of lactate shuttle principle. Cell Metabolism, 31(2), 330–346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2019.12.003
- Paoli, A., Marcolin, G., Zonin, F., Neri, M., Sivieri, A., & Pacelli, Q. F. (2011). Exercising fasting or fed to reinforce fats loss? Affect of meals consumption on respiratory ratio and extra postexercise oxygen consumption after a bout of endurance coaching. Worldwide Journal of Sport Diet and Train Metabolism, 21(1), 48–54. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.21.1.48
- Nosaka, Ok., Lavender, A., Newton, M., & Sacco, P. (2003). Muscle harm in resistance coaching: Is muscle harm essential for energy achieve and muscle hypertrophy? Worldwide Journal of Sport and Well being Science, 1(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.5432/ijshs.1.1
- Robergs, R. A., Ghiasvand, F., & Parker, D. (2004). Biochemistry of exercise-induced metabolic acidosis. American Journal of Physiology–Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 287(3), R502–R516. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00114.2004
- Robergs, R. A., McNulty, C. R., Minett, G. M., Holland, J., & Trajano, G. (2018). Lactate, not Lactic Acid, is Produced by Mobile Cytosolic Vitality Catabolism. Physiology (Bethesda, Md.), 33(1), 10–12. https://doi.org/10.1152/physiol.00033.2017
- Schoenfeld, B. J. (2010). The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their utility to resistance coaching. Journal of Energy and Conditioning Analysis, 24(10), 2857–2872. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181e840f3
- Schoenfeld, B. J. (2012). Does exercise-induced muscle harm play a job in skeletal muscle hypertrophy? Journal of Energy and Conditioning Analysis, 26(5), 1441–1453. https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/fulltext/2012/05000/Does_Exercise_Induced_Muscle_Damage_Play_a_Role_in.37.aspx)
- Schoenfeld, B. J., Aragon, A. A., & Krieger, J. (2014). Results of fasted vs fed-state cardio train on fats loss. Journal of the Worldwide Society of Sports activities Diet, 11(1), 54. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-014-0054-7
- Vigotsky, A. D., Beardsley, C., Contreras, B., Steele, J., Ogborn, D., & Phillips, S. M. (2017). Larger electromyographic responses don’t suggest higher motor unit recruitment and “hypertrophic potential” can’t be inferred. Journal of Energy and Conditioning Analysis, 31(1), e1–e4. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001249
- Vigotsky, A. D., Halperin, I., Trajano, G. S., Vasenina, E., Needham, R. A., Paoli, P., & Vieira, T. M. (2022). Eager for a longitudinal proxy: Acutely measured floor EMG amplitude just isn’t a validated predictor of muscle hypertrophy. Sports activities Medication, 52(1), 193–199. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01619-2
