The more total weight you lift over time—how heavy it is, how many times, and how many sets—the more your muscles grow, and even small differences in total lifting add up to small differences in growth.

The study looked at two different workout methods but didn’t test whether lifting more total weight (tonnage) leads to more muscle growth, so it doesn’t support or contradict that idea directly.

The study compared heavy weights with fewer reps to lighter weights with more reps, and found more muscle growth with the higher-rep routine. But it didn’t check if total tonnage (weight × reps × sets) was the main reason, so it doesn’t back up the claim that tonnage is the key factor.

The study says that just because someone lifts more over time doesn’t mean their muscles will grow more—it’s not a reliable predictor of results.