Have you ever wanted to physically fit but lack the motivation or drive to actually go down the gym and achieve it? Well, one day, that might become a reality.

Researchers at the Salk Institute in San Diego have been working on drugs to help improve the athletic capabilities of mice and they believe that one day, a pill might be fashioned that tricks muscles into believing they have just been through a tough workout.

The first drug that the scientists have been working on is called Aicar and it was found that after four weeks of treatment, the mice’s endurance on a treadmill was increased by 44 percent.

The second drug that the scientists were working with is named GW1516 and it was found that after the same period, the mice’s endurance had increased to 75 percent although the treatment had to be combined with exercise to see any effects.

The scientists believe that should human test results show the same sort of endurance increase as in mice, there is a wide range of areas where the pills could effectively be used. For example, they could help people who are recovering from long-term illnesses, those who are too frail to exercise such as the elderly, or people with health problems which are improved by exercise, such as diabetes. It might also have uses in the diet and weight-loss industries.

Aicar has been around for many years and has been used in trials for a variety of treatments, however neither drug has been yet been trialled for muscle endurance in humans. Despite the number of trials, it is unknown what the side effects of either drug are, particularly in the long-term.