Nobody really looks back on themselves as an eight-year-old and thinks that they were at their peak in terms of physical performance, but a new study suggests that youngsters are on a whole other level when it comes to muscle recovery. The research reveals that kids between the ages of 8 and 12 outperform even professional endurance athletes in many exercise recovery tests, bouncing back from muscle fatigue much faster than adults.

In a series of cycling tests, scientists put a dozen boys between the ages of 8 and 12 up against a dozen unfit adults and 13 professional competition athletes. Each volunteer was measured for their heart rate, level of oxygen in their blood, and the level of muscle fatigue they were experiencing based on the production of lactic acid within the muscles. The kids outperformed the sedentary adults every time, and when it comes to recovery, they also beat out the professionals.