Research

Energy balance

Short-term energy deficit (5 days) reduces resting myofibrillar protein synthesis by 27%, but this reduction is fully rescued to energy-balance levels by a single bout of resistance exercise.

If you are cutting calories to lose fat, do not skip resistance training. A single session of heavy resistance exercise will restore your muscle's ability to build protein to normal levels, protecting your muscle mass despite the low energy intake.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Postabsorptive rates of MPS were 27% lower in ED than EB (P < 0.001), but REX stimulated MPS to rates equal to EB.
José L. Areta et al. · American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism · 2014

Why this rating

Randomized controlled trial with rigorous tracer methodology, though small sample size (n=15).

Source

Reduced resting skeletal muscle protein synthesis is rescued by resistance exercise and protein ingestion following short-term energy deficit

José L. Areta et al. · American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism · 2014

DOI 10.1152/ajpendo.00590.2013

rct · n=15Cited 221×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →