A new year means New Year’s resolutions! Lots of people are probably getting their fitness on, whether it’s by joining a gym or putting on yoga YouTube videos. So this week, we’re stretching our muscles to explore the science of exercise!

Sources:

[Truth or Fail]

Myostatin-related muscle hypertrophy:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1498/

Increased blood volume:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17630597/

New brain cells:

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-11/nwsu-eib111217.php

[Fact Off]

Thinking about muscles: 

https://www.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/jn.00386.2014

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-grow-stronger-without-lifting-weights/

Animals on wheels: 

http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/281/1786/20140210.full

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4760155/

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2018/09/14/409409.full.pdf

[Ask the Science Couch]

Flexibility:

http://web.mit.edu/tkd/stretch/stretching_2.html

http://web.mit.edu/tkd/stretch/stretching_3.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3273886/

[Butt One More Thing]

Space underwear: 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-space-underwear-idUSTRE52M6ER20090323