3 bodybuilding myths debunked by new study — including the truth about ‘the pump’

Nypost · Jun 08, 2026 · 578 words · By Rachel Sacks

Telehealth Marketing Science vs. Anecdote Muscle Hypertrophy

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What to know about Telehealth Marketing

3 bodybuilding myths debunked by new study — including the truth about ‘the pump’ See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 10

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

3 bodybuilding myths debunked by new study — including the truth about ‘the pump’ See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

There are plenty of popular theories about how to get the best boost from lifting weights — but just because you heard it from a gym bro doesn’t mean it’s true.

Common ground

A narrative published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science has taken on three common beliefs about getting swole — and they won’t make you as muscular as you think.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Telehealth Marketing story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The burn can also be felt during anaerobic workouts, like running or swimming, that build endurance, not muscle?
How does this story connect Telehealth Marketing with Science vs. Anecdote over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/06/08/health/3-bodybuilding-myths-debunked-by-new-study-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

verified Verified 3

cancel Disputed 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

verified

Claim 1: “The burn can also be felt during anaerobic workouts, like running or swimming, that build endurance, not muscle”

VERIFIED

Evidence confirms that anaerobic respiration and the resulting burning sensation occur during high-intensity activities like running and swimming.

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web search NEUTRAL — Anaerobic respiration can cause a burning sensation due to the accumulation of lactic acid during intense physical activity.
https://brainly.com/question/47220195

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web search NEUTRAL — The burning sensation in muscles during hard exercise can be attributed to the production of hydrogen ions during a shift to anaerobic glycolysis as oxygen is converted to carbon dioxide by aerobic gl…
https://prezi.com/nyg99cgjzqzd/anaerobic-endurance/

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web search NEUTRAL — Lower-intensity, slower-paced endurance activities like running, cycling, and low-intensity strength training are aerobic. These workouts are beneficial in many ways. An important benefit is that aero…
https://www.issaonline.com/blogs/training-tips/try-these-exe…

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Claim 2: “what bodybuilders are simply experiencing is increased blood flow”

CORROBORATED

The source '3 bodybuilding myths debunked by new study' explicitly states that what bodybuilders experience as the pump is 'simply experiencing is increased blood flow'.

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Claim 3: “the burning sensation known as metabolic stress (or the burn) is helping repair the tiny tears in muscles that occur when they’re put under tension”

DISPUTED

While some sources describe metabolic stress as a chemical change during exercise, others (like the PMC NIH study) explicitly state that claims that metabolic stress meaningfully contributes to hypertrophy are 'not supported by evidence'.

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web search NEUTRAL — Jan 7, 2025 ... Simply put, metabolic stress occurs when your muscles undergo chemical and physical changes during intense exercise. This stress creates a ...
https://steelsupplements.com/blogs/steel-blog/the-role-of-me…

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web search NEUTRAL — Jan 22, 2026 ... metabolic stress → the pump/burn from higher reps muscle damage → the microtears that trigger repair most beginners only chase the burn ( ...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DT0gvOJDuKt/?hl=en

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web search NEUTRAL — From a functional point of view, disrupted force transmission, altered calcium homeostasis, disruption of excitation-contraction coupling, as well as metabolic ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8549894/

verified

Claim 4: “Mechanical tension, or putting the muscles under sufficient tension, such as progressive overload, which gradually increases the amount of weight lifted... will lead to muscle growth over time”

VERIFIED

The evidence from 'The Biggest Study on Muscle Growth' and the PMC NIH study confirms that mechanical tension is the primary driver of hypertrophy.

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Claim 5: “that burning sensation is an accumulation of metabolites, such as lactate”

VERIFIED

Multiple sources confirm that the burning sensation during intense exercise is associated with the accumulation of metabolites, specifically lactate and hydrogen ions.

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web search NEUTRAL — Lactate Accumulation: As intense exercise continues, lactate begins to accumulate in the muscles. This accumulation is associated with muscle fatigue and the burning sensation that athletes often repo…
https://brainly.com/question/10704890

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web search NEUTRAL — During metabolic stress, metabolites cause muscles to swell with blood, creating a temporary fullness known as the pump. This increased blood flow brings more nutrients, enhancing protein synthesis an…
https://www.bulknutrients.com.au/blog/muscle-building/metabo…

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web search NEUTRAL — Many athletes experience a burning sensation or localized pain while exercising. This type of discomfort usually appears during intense activity and disappears shortly after the exercise stops. The pr…
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-your-body-really-telling…

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Claim 6: “these hormonal surges don’t play a role in muscle growth, as both men and women — who have vastly different testosterone levels — have experienced similar increases in muscle mass after completing the same exercises”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources indicate that the belief in acute hormonal spikes as the primary driver of hypertrophy is being debunked and that mechanical tension is the actual driver, supporting the idea that these surges do not play the central role previously thought.

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web search NEUTRAL — Anabolic hormones such as testosterone and the superfamily of growth hormones (GH) have been shown to be elevated during 15-30 minutes of post-resistance ...
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15831061/

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web search NEUTRAL — Hormones such as testosterone, growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and cortisol do not operate in isolation. They form an integrated ...
https://www.ceegaag.com/sites/detail/content/?p=Before-and-A…

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web search NEUTRAL — Age plays a crucial role in this hormone response. Studies comparing ... Growth hormone triggers IGF-1 production, which acts as the main driver of ...
https://goldmanlaboratories.com/blogs/blog/sauna-testosteron…

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Claim 7: ““the pump,” or the sensation that your muscles have increased in size... also known as cell swelling, it has a weak association with hypertrophy”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources (PMC NIH and a news article) explicitly state that 'the pump' or cell swelling has a weak or unsupported association with hypertrophy.

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web search NEUTRAL — Muscle hypertrophy or muscle building involves a hypertrophy or increase in size of skeletal muscle through a growth in size of its component cells.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_hypertrophy

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web search NEUTRAL — Nov 21, 2025 ... Claims that acute hormonal responses, metabolic stress, cell swelling or “the pump” meaningfully contribute to hypertrophy are not supported by ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12927080/

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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 8, 2026 ... Also known as cell swelling, it has a weak association with hypertrophy, as what bodybuilders are simply experiencing is increased blood flow.
https://nypost.com/2026/06/08/health/3-bodybuilding-myths-de…

verified

Claim 8: “A narrative published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science has taken on three common beliefs about getting swole”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence contains general information about sports science journals and unrelated articles, but no specific evidence confirming a narrative published in the 'Journal of Sport and Health Science' addressing three common beliefs about getting swole.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering sports science and sports medicine. It is published by Elsevier on behalf of Sports Medicine Australia …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journal_of_Science_and_Medicin…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Medical journals are published regularly to communicate new research to clinicians, medical scientists, and other healthcare workers. This article lists academic journals that focus on the practice of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_medical_journals

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sports science is a discipline that studies how the healthy human body adapts during acute and long-term exercise, and how sports and physical activity promote health and performance from cellular to …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_science

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “there’s no evidence that lactate buildup leads to muscle growth”

CORROBORATED

Sources discuss the debunking of lactic acid as the cause of soreness and the PMC NIH study specifically notes that metabolic stress (of which lactate is a part) is not supported as a meaningful contributor to hypertrophy.

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web search NEUTRAL — In fact, that was the generally accepted explanation even in the scientific community until the 1970s. But what does science say about whether lactic acid is indeed the culprit in muscle fatigue and w…
https://www.pfizer.com/news/articles/science_fact_or_science…

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web search NEUTRAL — Does lactic acid or lactate cause muscle soreness?The lactate threshold is the point at which your body is producing more lactate than it can clear. Oxygen is required to help clear lactate and bring …
https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-get-rid-of-lactic-a…

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web search NEUTRAL — Why Does Lactate Build Up Happen During High Intensity Exercise? Lactate buildup is a result of the rapid anaerobic breakdown of carbohydrate. Cells break down carbs and fats from our food to produce …
https://ketone.com/blogs/blog/training-lactate-threshold-is-…

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Claim 10: “post-workout spikes in both the short- and long-term of testosterone, growth hormone and IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1) are what cause muscles to swell up”

DISPUTED

The claim states these spikes cause muscles to swell. However, multiple web search results (e.g., 'New Research Debunks Major Muscle Building Myths' and 'The Biggest Study on Muscle Growth') explicitly state that these spikes were 'once believed' to drive growth but that mechanical tension is the primary driver, effectively debunking the claim.

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web search NEUTRAL — Myth 1 – Post-Workout Hormone Spikes Play a Factor. After a hard workout you will experience a surge in testosterone, growth hormone, and IGF-1.
https://health.yahoo.com/wellness/fitness/exercise/articles/…

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web search NEUTRAL — Acute spikes in anabolic hormones like testosterone, growth hormone, and IGF-1 after resistance training were once believed to drive muscle growth.
https://www.boxrox.com/10-insights-into-how-muscle-really-gr…

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web search NEUTRAL — What Actually Causes Muscle Growth? The paper is unambiguous: mechanical tension is the primary driver of hypertrophy. Not the pump.Your testosterone, growth hormone, and IGF-1 spike after a hard work…
https://bodyweightstrength.fit/blogs/exercise-training/the-b…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.