When resistance training is performed to muscle failure, low-load with many repetitions produces the same amount of muscle fiber growth as high-load with few repetitions.
Strongly supported
Multiple high-quality studies back this claim.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional.
When resistance training is performed to muscle failure, low-load with many repetitions produces the same amount of muscle fiber growth as high-load with few repetitions.
See the technical phrasing
Hypertrophy of both slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibers is similar between low-load/high-repetition and high-load/low-repetition resistance training when performed to volitional failure.
When muscles are worked until exhaustion, the body recruits all muscle fibers, slow and fast, by forcing the nervous system to activate even the hardest-to-reach ones. This full activation creates stress that wakes up muscle repair cells, which add new nuclei to muscle fibers. These extra nuclei allow the fibers to make more protein, causing them to grow larger. This happens the same way whether the weight is light or heavy, as long as the set is taken to complete fatigue.
What the research says
Supports
3 studies
Study: Delayed myonuclear addition, myofiber hypertrophy, and increases in strength with high-frequency low-load blood flow restricted training to volitional failure.
This study provides evidence supporting the claim.
Contradicts
0 studies
Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 3 supporting studies