Lifting heavy weights might help you build slightly more muscle than lifting light weights if you're new to training, but the difference isn't big enough to say for sure it's real.

45

Pro

0

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

45

Community contributions welcome

45

Muscular adaptations in low- versus high-load resistance training: A meta-analysis

Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

Human

2016

This study found that lifting heavier weights might help muscles grow a bit more than lifting lighter weights, but the difference wasn’t big enough to say for sure — just a hint that heavier weights could be better, which matches what the claim says.

Contradicting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Muscular adaptations in low- versus high-load resistance training: A meta-analysis

Score: 45

DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2014.989922

Similar Assertions

Lifting heavier weights might help you get stronger a bit more than lifting lighter weights, but the difference is so small that we can’t be sure it’s real — it could just be luck.

45

0

95%

Lifting lighter weights might make slow-twitch muscle fibers grow more than lifting heavier weights, but scientists aren't totally sure yet because the results aren't clear.

39

0

88%

Lifting heavier weights might make your fast-twitch muscle fibers grow more than lighter weights, but the results aren't totally certain.

39

0

86%

Doing your workouts more often per week doesn’t seem to help you build more muscle, as long as the total amount of lifting stays the same.

48

0

86%

If you want to get stronger, doing your workouts more often helps—more than if you just want to get bigger muscles.

48

0

85%