The DOI matches its Crossref record; 164 of the 164 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Stimuli and sensors that initiate skeletal muscle hypertrophy following resistance exercise
Open accessAbstract
One of the most striking adaptations to exercise is the skeletal muscle hypertrophy that occurs in response to resistance exercise. A large body of work shows that a mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1)-mediated increase of muscle protein synthesis is the key, but not sole, mechanism by which resistance exercise causes muscle hypertrophy. While much of the hypertrophy signaling cascade has been identified, the initiating, resistance exercise-induced and hypertrophy-stimulating stimuli have remained elusive. For the purpose of this review, we define an initiating, resistance exercise-induced and hypertrophy-stimulating signal as "hypertrophy stimulus," and the sensor of such a signal as "hypertrophy sensor." In this review we discuss our current knowledge of specific mechanical stimuli, damage/injury-associated and metabolic stress-associated triggers, as potential hypertrophy stimuli. Mechanical signals are the prime hypertrophy stimuli candidates, and a filamin-C-BAG3-dependent regulation of mTORC1, Hippo, and autophagy signaling is a plausible albeit still incompletely characterized hypertrophy sensor. Other candidate mechanosensing mechanisms are nuclear deformation-initiated signaling or several mechanisms related to costameres, which are the functional equivalents of focal adhesions in other cells. While exercise-induced muscle damage is probably not essential for hypertrophy, it is still unclear whether and how such muscle damage could augment a hypertrophic response. Interventions that combine blood flow restriction and especially low load resistance exercise suggest that resistance exercise-regulated metabolites could be hypertrophy stimuli, but this is based on indirect evidence and metabolite candidates are poorly characterized.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“Understanding this mechanobiological connection confirms mechanical loading as the primary upstream driver of ribosome biogenesis”
From Ribosome Biogenesis as a Putative Bottleneck to Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: Mechanisms, Human Evidence, and Practical Modulators (2026) · cites this paper as [45]
In the citing paper
“The most defensible interpretation is that load intensity probably matters indirectly through its effects on mechanical tension, motor-unit recruitment, and the feasibility of accumulating productive volume [45,145].”
From Ribosome Biogenesis as a Putative Bottleneck to Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: Mechanisms, Human Evidence, and Practical Modulators (2026) · cites this paper as [45]
In the citing paper
“The ribosomal literature provides almost no direct basis for claiming that one of these broad categories is inherently superior for stimulating ribosome biogenesis [45].”
From Ribosome Biogenesis as a Putative Bottleneck to Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: Mechanisms, Human Evidence, and Practical Modulators (2026) · cites this paper as [45]
In the citing paper
“mTORC1 is also activated by mechanical stimuli, e.g., induced through resistance training [173]”
From Effects of Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy on Fat Mass and Glucose Homeostasis in Humans and Animals: A Narrative Review with Systematic Literature Search (2025) · cites this paper as [173]
Citations
Cites
1 retracted
Cai, X., Zhu, C., Xu, Y., Jing, Y., Yuan, Y., Wang, L., Wang, S., Zhu, X., Gao, P., Zhang, Y., et al. (2016) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/srep26802 · Cited by 54
RetractedRole of YAP/TAZ in mechanotransduction
Dupont, S., Morsut, L., Aragona, M., Enzo, E., Giulitti, S., Cordenonsi, M., Zanconato, F., Le Digabel, J., Forcato, M., Bicciato, S., et al. (2011) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature10137 · Cited by 5,979
Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy Adults
(2009) · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · doi:10.1249/mss.0b013e3181915670 · Cited by 4,332
TSC2 Mediates Cellular Energy Response to Control Cell Growth and Survival
Inoki, K., Zhu, T., & Guan, K.-L. (2003) · Cell · doi:10.1016/s0092-8674(03)00929-2 · Cited by 3,914
Bodine, S. C., Stitt, T. N., Gonzalez, M., Kline, W. O., Stover, G. L., Bauerlein, R., Zlotchenko, E., Scrimgeour, A., Lawrence, J. C., Glass, D. J., et al. (2001) · Nature Cell Biology · doi:10.1038/ncb1101-1014 · Cited by 2,752
Skeletal muscle fatigue: cellular mechanisms
Allen, D. G., Lamb, G. D., & Westerblad, H. (2008) · Physiological Reviews · doi:10.1152/physrev.00015.2007 · Cited by 2,495
Mass-spectrometric exploration of proteome structure and function
Aebersold, R., & Mann, M. (2016) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature19949 · Cited by 2,334
Bidirectional Transport of Amino Acids Regulates mTOR and Autophagy
Nicklin, P., Bergman, P., Zhang, B., Triantafellow, E., Wang, H., Nyfeler, B., Yang, H., Hild, M., Kung, C., Wilson, C., et al. (2009) · Cell · doi:10.1016/j.cell.2008.11.044 · Cited by 1,798
Psychogios, N., Hau, D., Peng, J., Guo, A. C., Mandal, R., Bouatra, S., Sinelnikov, I. V., Krishnamurthy, R., Eisner, R., Gautam, B., et al. (2011) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0016957 · Cited by 1,779
The underappreciated role of muscle in health and disease
Wolfe, R. R. (2006) · American Journal of Clinical Nutrition · doi:10.1093/ajcn/84.3.475 · Cited by 1,641
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 5
- Goldberg AL, 1975, Med Sci Sports, 7, 185
- Hamilton DL, 2009, Muscle plasticity. Advances in Biochemical and Physiological Research, 45
- Hirvonen J, 1992, Can J Sport Sci, 17, 141
- Paulsen G, 2012, Exerc Immunol Rev, 18, 42
- Schoenfeld BJ, 2014, Strength Condit J, 36, 5
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 301–354 of 354
Tomás, A. M., Moraes, P. M., & Bento-Torres, N. V. O. (2023) · doi:10.22533/at.ed.5412327067
MÉTODOS DE AVALIAÇÃO NEUROMUSCULAR
Noronha, Á. S. N., de Azevedo, A. B. C., Dias, R. K. N., & Coswig, V. S. (2023) · doi:10.22533/at.ed.5412327065
MÉTODOS DE AVALIAÇÃO CARDIORRESPIRATÓRIA
Cruz, S. D. J. V., Moraes, W. R. A., de Castro, V. L., Almeida, C. N. S., Ribeiro, B. C., & Neves, L. M. T. (2023) · doi:10.22533/at.ed.5412327064
Godwin, J. S., Michel, J. M., Ludlow, A. T., Frugé, A. D., Mobley, C. B., Nader, G. A., & Roberts, M. D. (2024) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2024.03.04.583417
Estágio de adaptação a oficiais temporários da aeronáutica e aptidão físicos
Filho, J. M. S., de Lima, D. N., Filho, N. D. Q. S., Nascimento, M. A. M. D., FARIAS, Á. L. P. D., Maia, D. F., & da Costa, R. M. A. (2024) · Research Society and Development · doi:10.33448/rsd-v13i5.45863
Mang, Z. A., Beam, J. R., Ruch, A. R., & Martinez, A. H. (2024) · Strength and conditioning journal · doi:10.1519/ssc.0000000000000858
Muscular dystrophy patients show low exercise‐induced blood flow in muscles with normal strength
Gera, O., Stein, E. S., Amichai, T., Chapman, J., Chorin, O., Greenbaum, L., & Dori, A. (2024) · Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology · doi:10.1002/acn3.52194
Havers, T., Geisler, S., & Kreutz, T. (2025) · B&G Bewegungstherapie und Gesundheitssport · doi:10.1055/a-2556-3289
Larsen, S., Sandberg, N. Ø., Schoenfeld, B. J., Fredriksen, A. B., Kristiansen, B. S., Wolf, M., van den Tillaar, R., Swinton, P. A., & Falch, H. N. (2025) · European Journal of Sport Science · doi:10.1002/ejsc.70030
Endothelial Piezo1 regulates muscle AKT abundance and mechanically induced muscle hypertrophyPreprint
Bartoli, F., Tickle, P. G., Gallagher, H., Debant, M., Cheng, C. W., Futers, T. S., Daou, H. N., Yuldasheva, N. Y., Beech, D. J., & Bowen, T. S. (2025) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2025.09.02.673617
Hibbert, J. E., Jorgenson, K. W., Sayed, R. K. A., Paez, H. G., Meinhold, M., Flynn, C. G. K., Lange, A. N., Lindley, G. T., Flejsierowicz, P. M., & Hornberger, T. A. (2025) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2025.09.19.676647
Identification of diabetes related phenotype and diagnostic biomarkers in coronary artery disease
Aihemaiti, G., Abula, A., Luo, J., Zhao, Q., Song, N., Liu, F., Adili, N., Yang, Y., & Li, X. (2025) · PeerJ · doi:10.7717/peerj.20117
The interplay between muscle length, range of motion, and exercise selection: a review
Pedrosa, G. F., Pereira, M. R., & Kassiano, W. (2025) · Sports Medicine International Open · doi:10.1055/a-2733-7605
From autophagy to mitophagy: Quality control mechanisms in skeletal muscle
Antuña, E., Menéndez-Coto, N., Fernández-Guisasola, P., & Coto‐Montes, A. M. (2025) · International review of cytology · doi:10.1016/bs.ircmb.2025.11.006
Hickmott, L. M., Chilibeck, P. D., Shaw, K. A., & Butcher, S. J. (2022) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.18585609
Hickmott, L. M., Chilibeck, P. D., Shaw, K. A., & Butcher, S. J. (2022) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.18585603
Hickmott, L. M., Chilibeck, P. D., Shaw, K. A., & Butcher, S. J. (2022) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.18585588
Hickmott, L. M., Chilibeck, P. D., Shaw, K. A., & Butcher, S. J. (2022) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.18585606
Warneke, K., Lohmann, L. H., Behm, D. G., Wirth, K., Keiner, M., Schiemann, S., & Wilke, J. (2024) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.25649341
Hickmott, L. M., Chilibeck, P. D., Shaw, K. A., & Butcher, S. J. (2022) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.18585600
Hickmott, L. M., Chilibeck, P. D., Shaw, K. A., & Butcher, S. J. (2022) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.18585615
Hickmott, L. M., Chilibeck, P. D., Shaw, K. A., & Butcher, S. J. (2022) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.18585591
Hickmott, L. M., Chilibeck, P. D., Shaw, K. A., & Butcher, S. J. (2022) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.18585585
Hickmott, L. M., Chilibeck, P. D., Shaw, K. A., & Butcher, S. J. (2022) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.18585594
Bergsport und Stütz- und Bewegungsapparat
Burtscher, M. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-662-70316-8_7
Eshaghian, A., Moghaddam, M. G., & Fathi, M. (2026) · Sport Sciences for Health · doi:10.1007/s11332-025-01609-1
da Silva, L. P., Silveira, C. C., Morozowski, F. W., Moreira, N. B., & Rodacki, A. L. F. (2026) · Sports Health A Multidisciplinary Approach · doi:10.1177/19417381261421485
The Repair Tax of Resistance Training: Microdamage Control as a Molecular Gatekeeper of Hypertrophy
Schaaf, K., Jacko, D., & Gehlert, S. (2026) · Exercise Science · doi:10.15857/ksep.2026.00059
Identification of new levers to fight muscle atrophy : benefit of the hibernating brown bear model
Cussonneau, L. (2022) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/1a11a81bzf829z4ba2zba9az6f3f4841c773
Lou, Y. (2026) · Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition · doi:10.1002/jpen.70093
Sustaining Muscle, Cardiovascular Health, and the Environment: Is Plant-Based Protein the Key?
Cannito, T., Ivetac, A., Fiotti, N., Mearelli, F., Bella, S. D., Girolamo, F. G. D., & Biolo, G. (2026) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu18091446 · Cited by 1
Nitzsche, N., Oehme, V., & Haase, R. (2026) · Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism · doi:10.1016/j.beem.2026.102112
Veldsman, L., Richards, G. A., Nel, D., Kohn, T. A., & Blaauw, R. (2026) · Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition · doi:10.1002/jpen.70106
Ribeiro, A. S., Sansone, G., Cunha, P. M., Kassiano, W., do Nascimento, M. A., Silva, A. M., Buzzachera, C. F., Coelho-e-Silva, M. J., Sardinha, L. B., & Cyrino, E. S. (2026) · Experimental Gerontology · doi:10.1016/j.exger.2026.113261
Oo, K., Lukic, G. W., Khong, T. K., Zhen, L. Y., & Yusof, A. (2026) · Lecture notes in bioengineering · doi:10.1007/978-981-95-9653-9_53
Vasconcelos, T., Ruivo, A., Refalo, M. C., Lucas, G. C., Vasconcelos, P. R., Brito, J. P., Vilaça‐Alves, J., & Oliveira, R. F. S. (2026) · The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research · doi:10.1519/jsc.0000000000005494
Edwards, A., Rowlett, M., Mora, J. M. J., Schoenfeld, B. J., & Montalvo, S. (2026) · Strength and conditioning journal · doi:10.1519/ssc.0000000000001000
Nehashi, R., Kawata, K., Sotani, Y., Kusano, T., Kano, R., Takeda, R., Sudo, M., Kano, Y., & Hoshino, D. (2026) · Physiological Genomics · doi:10.1152/physiolgenomics.00168.2026
Kataoka, R., Yamada, Y., Hammert, W. B., Sallberg, R. W., Kang, A., Song, J. S., Kassiano, W., Metcalf, E. E., & Loenneke, J. P. (2026) · The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research · doi:10.1519/jsc.0000000000005439
Weight class management in powerlifting: An evidence-informed practical review
Renner, A., & Amdi, C. H. (2026) · International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching · doi:10.1177/17479541261483232
Vasconcelos, T., Alves, A. R., Refalo, M. C., Lucas, G. C., Vasconcelos, P. R., Brito, J. P., Casanova, F., Vilaça‐Alves, J., & Oliveira, R. F. S. (2026) · Muscles · doi:10.3390/muscles5030061
Moesgaard, L., Moreno‐Justicia, R., Schmalbruch, J. H., Jessen, S., Stocks, B., Andersen, N. R., Nielsen, J. J., Yonamine, C. Y., Treebak, J. T., Bangsbo, J., et al. (2026) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-026-77275-9 · Cited by 8
Vasconcelos, T., Alves, A. R., Brito, J. P., & Oliveira, R. F. S. (2026) · Applied Sciences · doi:10.3390/app16178724
Morouço, P. (2026) · Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology · doi:10.3390/jfmk11030368
Komm, Y., Zeiler, L., Held, S., Comfort, P., Faigenbaum, A. D., Geisler, S., & Augste, C. (2026) · Sports Medicine · doi:10.1007/s40279-026-02499-0
High-load resistance training and FSHD: harmful mixture or a silver bullet combination?
Meinhold, M., & Hornberger, T. A. (2026) · Journal of Neurology · doi:10.1007/s00415-026-14148-7
Katsura, Y., Takeda, N., Inami, T., Yamaguchi, S., Takahashi, S., Nakamura, M., & Nosaka, K. (2026) · European Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1007/s00421-026-06443-y
Jiang, T., Wang, X., 姚旭通, Xia, J., & Liang, J. (2026) · Metabolism · doi:10.1016/j.metabol.2026.156787 · Cited by 1
Komm, Y., Held, S., Gavanda, S., Comfort, P., Faigenbaum, A. D., Geisler, S., & Augste, C. (2026) · The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research · doi:10.1519/jsc.0000000000005680
Huang, H., Zhang, H., Fan, M., Li, Y., & Wang, L. (2026) · Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition · doi:10.1080/10408398.2026.2742761
Trexler, E. T., & Pontzer, H. (2026) · Journal of Nutrition · doi:10.1016/j.tjnut.2026.101884
de Mendonça, V. L. A., Oliveira, R. X., Silva, I. D. A. O., Costa, A. F., Araújo, E. M., Coelho‐Júnior, H. J., Franco, O. L., & Aguiar, S. D. S. (2026) · Diseases · doi:10.3390/diseases14110395
Metadata
- Authors
- Wackerhage, H., Schoenfeld, B. J., Hamilton, D. L., Lehti, M., & Hulmi, J. J.
- Affiliations
- Technical University of Munich (DE)
- Lehman College (US)
- Deakin University (AU)
- LIKES – Foundation for Sport and Health Sciences (FI)
- University of Jyväskylä (FI)
- Corresponding author
- Wackerhage, Henning
- Venue
- Journal of Applied Physiology
- Publisher
- American Physiological Society
- Published
- 2019-01-01
- Volume
- 126
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 30-43
- ISSN
- 0161-7567 (ISSN-L)
- 8750-7587
- 1522-1601
- OpenAlex
- W2897539462
- Cited by
- 357
- References
- 163
- Citations by year
- 2026: 46 · 2025: 48 · 2024: 41 · 2023: 57 · 2022: 73 · 2021: 43 · 2020: 33 · 2019: 16
- FWCI
- 2.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- urn.fi
- Locations
- Journal of Applied Physiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Jyväskylä University Digital Archive (University of Jyväskylä) (submittedVersion)
- Own your potential (DEAKIN) (submittedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- mediaTUM (Technical University of Munich) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Foundation for Public Health and Physical Activity LIKES
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Muscle Physiology and Disorders
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Muscle metabolism and nutrition
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology (medical) › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
- Keywords
- skeletal muscle hypertrophy, resistance training, mTORC1 signaling, muscle protein synthesis, mechanical stress, exercise-induced muscle damage, metabolic stress, mechanosensing, filamin C, BAG3, Hippo signaling pathway, autophagy, costameres, blood flow restriction, low-load resistance training
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Humans, Hypertrophy, Stress, Physiological, Weight-Bearing, Muscle, Skeletal, Mechanotransduction, Cellular, Resistance Training
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review