While it may seem counterintuitive to lift weights when your muscles are hurting, a new animal study found that resistance or strength training activates androgen receptors that protect against chronic pain. Researchers from the University of Iowa found that performing resistance exercises could even prevent future muscle pain.

According to Study Finds, the scientists trained mice to climb up a ladder with small weights attached to them. Regular ladder climbing helped increase the strength of their front paws. Next, they injected a mild acid solution into the mice that created muscle pain when they worked out.

However, two months of steady resistance training stopped the development of muscle pain in both male and female mice. The authors of the study, published in Pain, the official journal of the International Association for the Study of Pain, concluded that eight weeks of resistance training increases lactate, testosterone and strength, which in turn prevents the development of hyperalgesia, or increased sensitivity to pain.

WebMD explains that men do not have a monopoly on testosterone, an androgen. A woman’s ovaries produce both testosterone and estrogen. When the researchers injected androgen-blockers into some mice, the rodents experienced pain. The findings suggest androgen receptors are needed to protect against muscle pain. While the study was done in mice, it could lead to more recommendations for strength or resistance workouts in people dealing with chronic pain, says Study Finds.

Dr. Mufaddal Gombera, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon says that “numerous studies have demonstrated that weightlifting and strength training help strengthen your joints as well as your muscles and bones. The long-term effects of weightlifting can provide you with decreased pain, even if you have arthritis.”

The University of Iowa researchers said their results suggest that resistance training will be more effective in preventing muscle pain, rather than alleviating it.

“This suggests that exercise should be continued in the absence of symptoms to prevent against future development of musculoskeletal pain,” they concluded.