After eight weeks of practicing lifting one heavy weight repeatedly, untrained people get just as strong as those doing many lighter lifts, even though their muscles do not grow larger.
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After eight weeks of practicing lifting one heavy weight repeatedly, untrained people get just as strong as those doing many lighter lifts, even though their muscles do not grow larger.
See the technical phrasing
Eight weeks of practicing the one-repetition maximum (1RM) strength test produces strength gains in untrained individuals that are equivalent to those achieved through high-volume resistance training, despite the absence of measurable muscle hypertrophy in the 1RM practice group.
Practicing lifting the heaviest weight possible trains the brain to send stronger and more coordinated signals to the muscles, allowing more muscle fibers to fire at the same time and with greater speed, which increases force output without making the muscles bigger.
What the research says
Supports
1 study
Study: Practicing the Test Produces Strength Equivalent to Higher Volume Training
This study provides evidence supporting the claim.
Contradicts
0 studies
Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies