Research

Mixed

High anabolic responders to resistance training exhibit greater baseline mitochondrial volume (citrate synthase activity) than low responders, suggesting mitochondrial capacity may facilitate muscle hypertrophy.

If you are struggling to build muscle despite consistent training, your mitochondrial capacity might be a limiting factor. While resistance training doesn't always increase mitochondria, high 'responders' tend to have higher baseline levels. Focus on general cardiovascular health alongside lifting to support the energy demands of muscle growth.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Main effects of cluster (HI>LO, p=0.018, Cohen’s d=0.737)... were observed for citrate synthase activity... Greater mitochondrial volume in HI responders may have facilitated greater anabolism
Brad J. Schöenfeld · 2018

Why this rating

Observational analysis of a subset of a previous trial; correlational, not causal.

Source

Peer Review #3 of "Skeletal muscle mitochondrial volume and myozenin-1 protein differences exist between high versus low anabolic responders to resistance training (v0.2)"

Brad J. Schöenfeld · 2018

DOI 10.7287/peerj.5338v0.2/reviews/3

rct · n=25
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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