Key takeaways Mechanical tension and mechanotransduction are currently the strongest evidence-based explanations for how muscles get bigger. Current evidence suggests that anabolic hormones, cell swelling (“pump”), and metabolites have little to no effect on muscle hypertrophy. A Canadian exercise scientist suggests a few ways for academics and others to disseminate

A 2025 editorial published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine argued that increasing muscular strength is not the main driver for reducing pain. Instead, they wrote that strength training is one component among several factors that contribute to pain reduction, based on the biopsychosocial framework of pain. These other

While stretching is often recommended by many fitness, sports, and rehab professionals, few could explain how it works and why. Traditional explanations often include “it lengthens your muscles” or “releases fascia.” However, research in the last 30-plus years has shown that stretching is less about mechanical properties and more about