The Claim

When total training volume is equated, powerlifting-style resistance training (3RM sets with 3-minute rest) and bodybuilding-style training (10RM sets with 90-second rest) produce similar increases in muscle thickness of the biceps brachii in well-trained young men over 8 weeks, with both groups showing approximately 12.6-12.7% hypertrophy.

Source: Effects of Different Volume-Equated Resistance Training Loading Strategies on Muscular Adaptations in Well-Trained Men

What the research says

Supports is higher

Support is ahead, but a single strong opposing study can change this.

Supports
40score
Challenges
0score

These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.

Cause and effect
1 study reviewed
In plain English

Two different weightlifting styles—one focused on heavy weights with long breaks, the other on lighter weights with short breaks—both grew arm muscles about the same amount when people lifted the same total amount over 8 weeks.

See the scientific wording

When total training volume is equated, powerlifting-style resistance training (3RM sets with 3-minute rest) and bodybuilding-style training (10RM sets with 90-second rest) produce similar increases in muscle thickness of the biceps brachii in well-trained young men over 8 weeks, with both groups showing approximately 12.6-12.7% hypertrophy, indicating that hypertrophy outcomes are comparable despite differences in loading strategies and rest intervals.

What the research says

1 study
  1. Study: Effects of Different Volume-Equated Resistance Training Loading Strategies on Muscular Adaptations in Well-Trained Men

    The study compared two workout styles with equal total effort and found both built similar muscle size in the biceps, just like the claim said.

Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies

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