# How muscles work? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 3, 2025, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-muscles-work/1017807 "2025-05-03T01:50:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-muscles-work/1017807/41 "2025-05-12T04:29:56Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Sounds typical. You don’t need to train to failure. Good to know it is normal. But I have been at it for 3 months now. Maybe I am increasing my workout more than I think I am. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-muscles-work/1017807/42 "2025-05-12T08:43:39Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > some muscle breakdown necessarily occurs and is desirable That is the standard wisdom that the article I linked to is questioning, the _necessity_ of muscle breakdown as the stimulus, opposed to other stresses. It is just an academic question. The practical point is that _effective exercise doesn’t have to have soreness_. Some muscle damage is in any case generally correlated with exercise that results in hypertrophy anyway, so it is moot. @HoneyBadgerDC your perceived effort approach is clearly working well for you. That said yeah some way to monitor progress and effort is usually helpful. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2025, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-muscles-work/1017807/43 "2025-05-13T03:15:39Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > [Delayed onset muscle soreness - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_onset_muscle_soreness) I am glad you posted this. I suspect it will be a feature of the machine. It is something that deserves being looked at closer. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2025, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-muscles-work/1017807/44 "2025-05-13T14:08:43Z")
This is a feature of any strenuous exercise, particularly if new or novel. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2025, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-muscles-work/1017807/45 "2025-05-13T15:00:02Z")
Yes, that is what all the info I read suggests. I have been doing it for 3 months now and I still get the delayed onset every single workout. Maybe because I had gotten so far out of shape it is just taking longer to not be new anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2025, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-muscles-work/1017807/46 "2025-05-13T18:34:15Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > My machine does not use weight; it only uses resistance… > My new machine has nothing to really compare it to… > One interesting feature it has not unique to pulling but somewhat unique to pushing is that all the movements are done while sitting … > If I don’t lean against the back of the seat while doing the bench it works my stomach and on the pull stroke works my back… > You never hit failure on my machine because it has no weight or counterforce. I can just keep pushing it all the way down to less than 1#. What I can control is the effort I apply which doesn’t correlate with the force I’m struggling to imagine what your device looks like. It sounds like some sort of pulley system. I mean no disrespect, but I highly doubt that it is unique. There are _a lot_ of workout gadgets that have been developed over the years. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2025, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-muscles-work/1017807/47 "2025-05-13T19:47:03Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > I mean no disrespect, but I highly doubt that it is unique. There are _a lot_ of workout gadgets that have been developed over the years. Several similar systems were patented decades ago but they all made the same mistakes. After reading the old patents it appears to me they were right where I was about 1 month into the project. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-muscles-work/1017807/48 "2025-05-14T19:28:09Z")
I was reading a thread on Quora where guys from 60 to 80 something are sharing their experience with strength training. I am wondering if it is not an AI generated thread. Almost unanimously they are not reporting any reduction in strength. These are mostly life long weight trainers. I have plenty of friends who have trained throughout their lives and every single one of them reports a minimum of 30% strength loss by the age of 70, usually more. After that they don’t even talk about it much but I can see they are getting smaller. I don’t believe anything I read anymore. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-muscles-work/1017807.md?page=2)