The study also highlighted the importance of rest, with Nosaka adding: “Muscle adaptions occur when we are resting; if someone was able to somehow train 24 hours a day, there would be actually no improvement at all.
“Muscles need rest to improve their strength and their muscle mass, but muscles appear to be like to be stimulated more frequently.”
With regards to the impact of exercise on diabetes, dementia, and cancer, Nosaka said a loss of muscle was a risk factor a number of conditions: “A decrease in muscle mass is a cause of many chronic disease such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, dementia, plus musculoskeletal problems such as osteoporosis.”
As a result, this study provides food for thought on the nature of exercise and shows how often one exercises matters more than the intensity of that exercise.