If exercising means you strain muscles to grow them, why does straining your back hurt it instead of making it stronger?

Question

If exercising means you strain muscles to grow them, why does straining your back hurt it instead of making it stronger?

In: 489

Answer 1

Working out is like carefully pruning a plant so that it grows into a different (desired) direction, analogous to the micro tears that make muscles grow

Straining a muscle is like hacking at a plant randomly with an axe. It’s a shitload of damage in one spot, recovery is more difficult.