HoldsUp

Brad Schoenfeld

Lehman College

Brad Schoenfeld is a professor at Lehman College whose work focuses on exercise science and sports nutrition. His research primarily investigates muscle hypertrophy, body composition, and neuromuscular adaptations to resistance training protocols. His published studies also examine sports nutrition, muscle protein synthesis, and physical fitness metrics.

64 claims checked on air: 3 context 3 contradicted 1 overstated 51 supported 6 unverified

What they said on air - overstated

7 citing their own research

1:31:25overstatedmoderateDr. Brad Schoenfeld: Resistance Training for Time Efficiency

Women generally experience less exercise-induced muscle soreness than men, which may be related to estrogen.

"Soreness to some extent is genetically influenced, and interestingly, it seems women seem not to have as much soreness as men. There's been some speculation it might have to do hormonally with estrogen; it could be other effects as well." (said at 1:31:25)

The speaker claims that women generally experience less exercise-induced muscle soreness (DOMS) than men, speculating that estrogen or other hormonal effects play a role. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses show that there is no consistent or overall sex difference in delayed-onset muscle soreness following exercise-induced muscle damage. A meta-analysis comparing acute effects after eccentric exercise found no significant difference in DOMS between men and women (Morawetz et al., 2020). While some individual studies show lower reported pain intensity in women under specific protocols (Danielle et al., 2003), others report no difference or greater subjective distress in men. Additionally, while estrogen fluctuates across the menstrual cycle and meta-analytic evidence shows slight reductions in DOMS during phases with higher estrogen (e.g., mid-luteal vs. early follicular phase; Romero-Parra et al., 2021), trials evaluating direct estrogen administration or hormone levels demonstrate inconsistent effects on muscle soreness (e.g., Thompson et al., 2001; Ploutz-Snyder et al., 2004). Therefore, claiming a general sex difference in muscle soreness favoring women overstates the current scientific evidence.

Fact-checked episodes

Publications